Princess Bride
by Mediafan
Summary: Death cannot stop true love, all it can do is delay it for a little while. Winry Rockbell, an apprentice to her Grandmother, falls in love with Edward Elric, the hired help. After a tragic day and an ominous meeting with a Prince, Winry finds herself trapped in a nightmare with no end in sight. And then one day, all that changes. Princess Bride AU. EdWin.
1. Chapter 1

**I** **do not own any of these characters. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood was created by Hiromu Arakawa. The Princess Bride was written by William Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner. I am none of these people.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _Come my love, I'll tell you a tale  
of a boy and girl and their love story  
and how he loved her oh, so much,  
and all the charms she did possess._

 _Now this did happen once upon a time_  
 _When things were not so complex_  
 _How he worshipped the ground she walked_  
 _And when he looked in her eyes he became obsessed._

-Princess Bride soundtrack

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry Rockbell had been raised on a small farm in the country of Amestris for her entire life. She lived there with with her grandmother, near the village of Resembool, ever since her parents had died. They were killed in the King's war with the neighboring kingdom of Drachma. Winry had been four years old at the time and even now, thirteen years later, with the King all but stepped down and his young son sitting on the throne; the brutal war still haunted the hearts of many of the elders in the land. Not even doctors, like Winry's parents, had escaped its destruction.

Now she lived on the Rockbell farm which over the years had been converted into a smithy. Though a few animals still remained. Winry's favorite thing to do was to help her grandmother, the local blacksmith. She'd spent years learning the trade and was hoping to one day take over the smithy once her grandmother retired. Every day she'd help her granny with the various tasks and and fulfilling orders from customers. But the thing that Winry found herself doing the most with her time was fighting with their hired help: Edward.

"EDWARD! Where are you?" Winry shouted, hoping that the aforementioned male was within earshot.

Silence.

"ELRIC, get your sorry ass in here and help me!" Winry shouted again angrily.

"One minute princess!" barked a voice from outside their blacksmith workshop. "I'm still fixing that damn wagon you broke earlier!"

Winry growled at his use of that stupid nickname. Why did he always have to be such a jackass? The wagon's wheel fell off because rain had rusted through the latches. Usually the smithy kept the wagon dry, but there were holes in its roof so it didn't offer much protection. Edward was supposed to have covered those holes by now; just like he was suppose to be in here helping her.

'Well this box of bolts isn't going to move itself.' Winry thought to herself as she tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Edward still hadn't entered the smithy yet. She'd been waiting for what felt like hours for him to show up. 'God, he's never this lazy when Granny needs his help. I guess I'm just _special_.' Winry thought sarcastically.

Several more moments passed before Winry's patience ran out. "Fine! I'll do it myself, shrimp." She yelled; bending down.

"HEY WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE!" Came Ed's angry response.

"You! You insecure mite with dwarfism!" Winry shot back as she tried to find a grip on the large wooden box.

'Honestly, why does he get so angry about his height. He's not even that short.' Ed was an inch or two taller than Winry who stood about 5'4 herself. 'Ok, he's below average, but it could be worse. He's such a baby.' Winry shook her head before concentrating on the task at hand.

'Ok, one...two...three and lift!' Winry heaved as she lifted the box was heavy, but not as heavy as it had initially appeared.

'Ha, I didn't need Edward. I got this.' She thought confidently.

Unfortunately for Winry the box was pretty big and partly obstructed her view of the floor. Because of this, she didn't notice the protruding wrench sticking out of a nearby cabinet until her foot tripped on it.

Outside, by the broken wagon, Edward was still grumbling about the ever growing list of chores for the day. He wasn't lazy or anything, he just disliked being worked like a slave. Unfortunatly for him, his 'employer' seemed hell bent on treating him as such.

"Why couldn't I get a job at a farm that had a normal girl, who did normal girl things." Ed muttered to himself as he screwed the new latch onto the wagon. Ever since he'd first gotten there, him and Winry had butted heads pretty much every day. Winry was always nagging him, always finding something wrong with his work ethic. She was probably one of the most infuriating people he'd ever met.

CRASH

'What the hell!?'

The loud crash, followed by a small shriek from Winry, caused Ed to instantly drop the tools he was holding and sprint to the workshop. He stopped himself at the door and would have laughed at the sight in front of him, if he hadn't been so alarmed. There on the floor, rubbing her head, was a very ticked off looking Winry; surrounded by various nuts and bolts.

"Nice job, Gearhead." He drawled.

"Shut up!" Winry snapped, glaring up from her position on the ground. Seeing that she was good enough to yell at him caused Ed to relax, she was fine.

Winry looked at the screws on the ground and sighed. Ed noticed that she was pouting and let out a chuckle as he held out a hand. She huffed, but accepted the help and let he pull her to her feet. Winry stood up and dusted herself off, her cheeks reddening from embarrassment. The two of them stood in silence for several moments before Winry winced and touched the growing bump on his head. This caused Ed to frown deeply.

"Are you ok, Winry?" He asked after a moment causing her to glance at him in surprise.

She was expecting the question but was surprised by the genuine concern in his voice. She looked at his face suspiciously and saw the same concern showing in his golden eyes. 'You know? When they aren't steaming with anger, those eyes of his can really be hypnotic.' Winry observed to herself. She had never seen eyes quite like his before. They were so unique; beautiful even. They kinda reminded her of the rising sun.

"Winry?"

Winry was snapped out of her thoughts and looked back into Ed's now confused gaze. Her cheeks turned a dark red as she realized that she'd been caught staring.

"Uhhh I'm fine, yeah totally fine." Winry started to say. "S-stupid wrench made me trip. I just bumped my head a little...I'm fine." Winry waved her hands dismissively in front of her, beyond embarrassed at this point.

Ed raised an eyebrow at her weird behavior, but let it pass. "Um...ok, uh how about you finish the broken wagon and I'll clean this mess up? I mean, you're better with tools than I am and any idiot can pick up stupid screws."

Winry's eyes widened slightly as his generous offer. "Um...thank you Ed. Wait?" She said suddenly with an amused smile. "Did you just call yourself an idiot?"

It was now Ed's turn to blush as he realized that he kind of did. "No I didn't...uh I was just...you hit your head too hard! I think you should go uh...rest or something, you seem to be hearing things." He eyes looked away from her smirking face.

"Am I Ed?" Winry wanted to capitalize on this. "I also think that you said that I was above the work of an idiot. Does that mean you think I'm a very intelligent person? Awww, Ed, I didn't know that you could be so nice." She clasped her hands together and gave him the sweetest fake smile ever.

"Shut up and go fix the stupid wagon." Ed looked away from her, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

Winry laughed at his embarrassed tone and strolled outside to work on the wagon. Ed watched her go before looking up at the roof. 'Why does she have to be so annoying? I mean, I was trying to help her out and she ridicules me.' He seethed before looking back at where she'd gone. 'Though...the did look kinda cute when she was pouting. GAH! What the hell was that?'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Several hours later Ed entered the house absolutely exhausted. Picking up all the screws had taken much longer than he thought it would. The tiny metal pieces had managed to cram themselves into every possible crevice. His legs and back were cramped after spending hours bending over and crouching down. Why he even bothered to find every single screw he'd probably never know. It wasn't like he was trying to impress someone, was he?

As Ed entered the kitchen he saw Winry working at the counter while her grandmother, Pinako, was sitting at the table. Winry's old dog, Den, trotted over to him, happily wagging his tail. Ed reached down and scratched behind the dog's ear.

"Where the hell have you been all afternoon, shrimp?" Pinako grumbled from her chair.

'Miserable old bag.' Ed thought in his head before answering. "In the workshop picking up every single screw that 'the princess' dropped".

Winry glared at him over her shoulder, but didn't say anything and went back to finishing up the surprise she'd been making. Ed found some of Pinako's ale and started chugging it down. He sat down across from the old woman and once he was finished drinking, passed her the ale. This was how dinner usually went for the household. Ed ate with the two Rockbell women, as food was one of the several form of payments that he received for his services around the farm. So far, Ed had been with the Rockbells for about 6 months. Before that, he was a bit of a roamer; simply traveling around from place to place. There were some moments, during his time on the farm, where Ed missed the sense of adventure and the wanderlust. Why then, Ed would often asked himself, had he stayed at a job that he originally took in order to wait out a storm?

As Ed thought about this for the hundredth time this week, a very pleasant aroma caught his attention. He was surprised by a warm apple pie being placed suddenly in front of him. He looked down at the pie and then up at Winry who was smiling shyly.

"Here you go." She said cheerfully, placing a fork and knife in front of Ed.

"What?" asked Ed dumbly.

Winry looked at Ed with a confused look on her face then sighed. "The pie, dummy. It's for you."

"Oh." Ed said in understanding, he then looked down at the pie then back up at Winry. "What's the occasion?"

Winry bit her lip as she fought to keep the blush off her cheeks. "I just felt that...well you've been working so hard for the past few months. I wanted to say thank you and sorry."

"Sorry?" Ed raised an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"

"For spilling the screws earlier and then leaving you to clean it up." Winry admitted, her eyes becoming slightly downcasted. "You really didn't have to pick up every single one."

"It's fine" Ed said reassuringly.

Winry chewed the inside of her mouth before speaking again. "I've been pretty hard on you lately, haven't I?" She said clasping her hands behind her back and swaying awkwardly.

"As I said it's fine." Ed repeated, then found himself blushing. "Thanks for the pie."

"You're welcome." Winry smiled.

Ed returned the smile and then turned back to the pie. Winry's pies were always great. He looked up briefly to see Winry moving on to do other things. Although he couldn't see it, there was a smile still playing on her lips.

As predicted the pie was heavenly. When Winry picked up the platter she was still smiling.

'She looks cute when she smiles. Hell she looks cute when she's angry too, but I like her better when she smiles.' Ed thought to himself as he watched her work. 'Maybe that's why I've stayed...to see her smile.'

As Ed pondered this, Pinako shook her head at the whole awkward exchange happening in front of her between the two smiling teenagers.

"God help me." She muttered under her breath.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Hey Ed?"

"Yes Winry."

"Can you come help me please?"

"Sure thing, one second."

Ed walked into the smithy, wiping the sweat and dirt off his hands with a cloth. Inside, he found Winry waiting for him. Ed raised an eyebrow when he saw she was not wearing her usual plain dresses. Instead Winry was sporting a wool shirt and tight, fitting, tan trousers. He tore his eyes away from her outfit to Winry was smiling pleasantly at him.

"What do you need?" He asked.

"I just need help moving these crates onto the wagon, the city of Liore sent in a order for some crates of oil." Winry told him. "Apparently they have some statues for their church in need of maintaining."

"I don't need the whole story." Ed said as he moved to a box.

"Do you mind coming with me to Liore to help drop them off?" Winry asked, that pleasant smile still on her pretty face.

"No" Ed said as he easily picked up a box. "I could use some time away from this farm and the old bag's nagging."

"Ok." Winry smiled. "Oh, Ed before we go. I really need you to repair the roof of the smithy." Ed responded with a grunt, Winry shook her head and turned to survey the crates looking for a place to start. Ed started loading his box onto the cart. When he turned around he paused when he saw Winry bending over a crate. Ed knew she would bash his head in if she caught him, but he couldn't help but stare at her ass. The pants she wore were rather tight and only got tighter when she bent over. He blinked in surprise, since when did Winry have such a great ass and why had he never noticed it before? He continued to stare shamelessly until Winry stood up and turned around.

Winry was a bit startled when she saw Ed standing there just staring at her. He had a weird look in his eyes, almost like he was sizing her up or something. She had never seen a look like this on his face. For whatever reason his look of scrutiny caused a warm sensation in her stomach and she quickly moved past Ed to put her own box on the crate. Winry then moved on to the next box, avoiding any eye contact with Ed.

Ed quickly went back to moving the crates, blushing at the awkward situation that he had just created. Why was he so hypnotized by her ass? Hell, he was still staring at it as they continued to work. Often times letting her walk in front of him and bend over. A part of Ed felt bad, like he was some kind of pervert. But for some reason he just couldn't stop. Why? Was it that he just realized that Winry was really attractive? Surely he would have noticed that by now after 6 months.

'Well all the two of us ever seemed to do in the beginning was yell at each other.' Ed thought in his head. 'And it's hard to find a girl attractive when she treats you like a slave.' Ed's traitorous gaze moved all across Winry's body. 'Yeah, when a girl treats you like that it's hard to notice her beautiful blond hair, glowing blue eyes, pretty face, flawless skin, full breasts, narrow waist, supple hips, and perfectly round ass.'

Ed groaned at his perverted thoughts and tried to occupy his thoughts and line of sight with something else. If he didn't get himself under control, this could get even more awkward. 'Just get this over with then go fix the roof.'

Winry was confused. A second ago Ed was staring at her like she was a delicious piece of meat and now he wasn't even looking at her. What was his problem? She paused to take a look at him and saw that he was blushing.

'He's blushing. Why is he blushing?' Winry frowned before a peculiar thought popped into his head. 'Was he checking me out?'

This thought hit Winry like a stone wall. 'No no no; it's Ed.' Winry couldn't help but chuckle. 'But maybe...'

Winry wasn't dumb, she knew that the trousers she wore drew attention to a certain...area. Normally she wouldn't wear such form hugging clothing, but she'd have probably torn a dress doing this work. Anyway, if Ed was watching her then...

Winry bent down to pick up another crate; but she did so in a rather exaggerated fashion. As she did so, Winry quickly glanced back to see Ed's head quickly turning away from her; a brilliant blush on his face.

Winry's jaw dropped, Ed was checking her out; Edward Elric! The insecure, loudmouth asshole who had never shown any interest to a member of the female gender in all of the time that she had known him was suddenly checking her out. When did this become a thing? A part of her was offended by Ed's rather lecherous behavior and wanted to bash him over the head. But another part of her was oddly flattered. This part is what perplexed Winry the most. Why was she okay with Ed checking her out?

'Well he has been really sweet recently and we don't fight as much as we used to.' Winry thought. 'And living on this farm can be lonely. I guess the attention is nice.' She blushed at the last thought.

Winry resumed her work with the crates, but her thoughts remained on Ed. She had to admit that he was very handsome and pleasant to be around when he wasn't such a pain in the ass.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Heights had never bothered Ed. Handling sharp metal objects didn't either. Combine those two and throw a rickety ladder in the mix and Ed was still relatively in his comfort zone. The roof of the smithy was in need of repair and he had to do it before they left, as it looked like it was going to rain. Winry was currently checking the horses and Ed was glad that he was the one performing the more precarious task. But he had to wonder; why was this roof made out of skinny sharp metal plates?

'Ten down, two to go.' Ed thought as he secured another plate.

'Eleven down, one to g-is that Den?' Ed looked down and saw Den from across the field chasing a rabbit in his direction.

'Turn left! Turn left!' Ed thought as the rabbit led Den on a path towards the bottom of the ladder. 'You big eared piece of shit! Ah, son of a bitch, this is going to hurt.'

The rabbit must of thought that running through the ladder would deter the idiotic dog chasing him. It didn't. Ed gripped the ladder tightly as Den smashed headlong into it, tipping to the side.

'Fuck animals'

Ed shut his eyes as he rolled with the fall, angling himself so that he wouldn't land on his head. Hitting the ground knocked the wind out of him, and left him dazed. He was about to try and get up when suddenly a blinding pain exploded in his side.

"Shit!" Ed hissed out. "You've got to kidding me!"

Ed pushed himself into a sitting position and gripped his throbbing side. His hand felt wet as blood oozed through his fingers. Two to three inches of a metal plate was sticking into his side. 'Damn it' Ed thought. Clutching the plate, Ed got to his feet, his breathing becoming ragged at the increasing levels of pain he was experiencing. It was worse then anything he'd ever experience. It only barely registered to Ed so far he hadn't cried out yet though, he had a good pain tolerance. Breaking out into a sweat, Ed slowly started to make his way towards the stables. He kept his movements slow and careful; he didn't want to make the wound any worse. The old bag was gone for a week, so Winry was the only person on the farm.

"I'm gonna skin that dog and eat it." He muttered to himself.

Ed eventually made it to the stables and pushed his way through the door. He saw Winry was brushing the horse's hair. "Sounds like you took a tumble out there, everything all right?" She commented, not looking at him.

"No, not really." Ed grimaced out.

Winry looked up from her work and almost screamed. Ed let out a pained smirk as Winry ran over to him, her face as white as snow.

"What did you do?" She asked horrified.

"Me?" Ed asked incredulously. "I didn't do anything. Your stupid dog tried to kill me." Even with a piece of metal sticking out of him, Ed still found time to argue with Winry.

"Shut up you idiot and sit down." Winry ordered him. "Now don't move, I...I need to figure out what to do."

Since Winry's parents had been doctors, she had pretty good medical knowledge. 'Ok, if I take the piece out now, Ed's going to bleed quickly.' She thought to herself, 'I can try to sew the wound up, but that won't stop the possibility of infection...I could cauterize the wound, but that might be too painful for Ed. Ok I have a plan B, now what's plan A?...of course! Granny's alcohol!'

"Stay right here Ed, I'll be right back." Winry turned and sprinted out of the stables barely hearing Ed's "What else am I supposed to do?" comment.

As Ed watched her disappear outside, he let out a sigh. "I hope she knows what she's doing." he muttered to himself. Eventually she came back holding one of Pinako's ales and some string and needle.

"So what now Doc?" Ed joked.

Winry placed down her items and paused to go over everything in her head.

"Winry?" Ed, sounding impatient.

"Ok." Winry said. "Um, well first things first I'm going to pull this thing out"

"Pull it out!"

"No we're just going to leave it there, draw a face on it and name it Sherman." Winry snapped, rolled her eyes.

"I could be dying!" Ed shouted angrily.

"After I pull it out." She continued, picking up a cloth. "I'll hold this to the wound until we get the bleeding under control. Then I'll douse it with the alcohol to prevent infection and sew it up,

Ed could tell she was nervous. She was trying to remain calm and collected, yet Ed saw that she was scared of making a mistake.

"Hey." Ed spoke up, Winry paused to look into his golden irises. "I trust you. You can do this."

Winry's eyes widened before she gave a small smile and nodded. "Ok." She breathed. She took out a small knife. "What is that for?" Ed asked with a raised eyebrow. "Removing your shirt." Winry said simply as she began to carefully cut Ed's bloodstained shirt. Ed blushed a little at Winry being this close to him while he was shirtless, but she didn't seem to notice. To her all that mattered was Ed.

"You owe me a new shirt." Ed grinned causing Winry to give him a small smile. But then she turned back to the issue at hand.

"This is going to hurt." She looked sympathetic.

"It already hurts, let's just get this over with."

Winry nodded and grabbed a small piece of wood. "Put this between your teeth. It'll help."

"Thanks." Ed mumbled as he placed the wood in his mouth.

"Ok." Winry's small, soft hands firmly gripped the sides of the blade and put a foot up next to Ed on the ledge for leverage. "One. Two-"

Winry suddenly kicked off of the bench, yanking the blade out of Ed. Ed gave a muffled cry of pain and he felt the wood crack in his mouth. his hands instantly went to his side where he felt blood flowing over his fingers.

Winry was by his side the next second, taking his hand in her's as she pressed the cloth against the bleeding wound. Ed tried to bring his breathing under control as Winry squeezed his hand and cooed comfortingly into his ear.

"You're ok, you're ok. I got you, it'll be alright." Winry reassures him as he gripped her hand tightly.

Unfortunately, Ed could barely hear her as the agony in his side seemed to have gotten worse. He ground his teeth at the pain as he felt blood flowing out of the wound. Reaching down he placed his hand over Winry's, putting pressure on the bleeding hole in his side. Exhaling deeply, he finally got his breathing under control. Looking up, his golden eyes met her big blue ones. Despite the situation, he was taken aback by how pretty they were and how much concern was in them. "What happened to three?!" He asked.

"Ed, are you okay?" Winry spoke quickly as she studied his face.

Giving her a smug grin, he responded, "Nah tis but a scratch."

Winry narrowed her eyes and resisted the urge to smack him. "Ed, I would really appreciate it if you didn't make stupid jokes right now."

"Says the girl who doesn't have a hole in her stomach." Ed shot back.

"Well tough guy, here comes the alcohol." Winry getting ready to douse him.

"Wait! Wait! Can I have some first?" Ed asked hopefully.

Winry nodded and handed the bottle to Ed, who swiftly chugged it. Ed closed his eyes as he felt the alcohol pour down his throat, dulling his senses.

"Don't drink all of it, dummy." Winry snatched the bottle back from Ed. Ed shrugged, then winced at the pain that it caused him.

"Ok, this is going to sting as well." Winry warned.

"Why shouldn't it?" Ed said sarcastically.

Without much warning Winry pulled the bloody cloth back and poured a generous amount of alcohol onto the gaping wound. Ed once again had to hold his breath in an effort to not yell out in agony.

Winry cringed at the agonized look on his face. Seeing Ed in so much pain was almost unbearable and she prayed to heaven that she was doing this right. If he died because of a mess up on her part, she'd hate herself forever. Just because Ed could be annoying, didn't mean she wanted anything bad to happen to him. Far from it actually.

'No he's not going to die.' Winry thought determinedly. She placed the cloth back on the wound, putting pressure on it. The front of her dress was stained with blood but she didn't care. The two of them sat there for what felt like hours as the bleeding started to slow down. Once it seemed to come to a stop, Winry decided to sew Ed up.

"Ok Ed, before I sew you up we're gonna have one more douse with the alcohol. You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Ed grumbled.

Winry poured the alcohol on Ed, who barely even flinched this time. He just kept staring into her eyes, seemingly ignoring anything else going on around him. Through the pain, Ed noticed that her eyes reminded him of the sea.

Once that was done, Winry dipped the needle into the alcohol to clean it and then got busy with sewing. Ed continued to stare at her as she worked. She found it a little distracting, but anything to help Ed through this ordeal was fine by her. Thanks to lessons from Pinako, Winry was an excellent sewer and made quick work of Ed's wound. This wasn't the first time that she'd had to patch him up, but it certainty was the scariest.

Ed let out a groan as Winry cut the string that was embedded in his skin. While Winry let out a sigh of relief and leaned back to examine her work. The stitches looked strong and the wound didn't look infected. Winry smiled and looked up at Ed.

"I thinks that's enough excitement for one day; time for bed tough guy." Winry's hands went under his armpits to help him up.

"What?" Ed questioned. "I still have to finish the roof."

"Oh no way in hell am I going to let you go back to work after this. Come on." Winry gently hoisted Ed up, noticing his grimace.

"Do I have to go to sleep?" Ed whined as they exited the stable.

"Of course dummy. You need to rest! Do you want to ruin your stitches after all the hard work I put into them?" Winry glared at him, almost daring him to question her.

Ed went silent after this and the two of them slowly walked into the house. Their pace was slow and ascending the staircase to the second floor was difficult; but Winry held Ed's hand the entire time.

"What are you going to do after this?" Ed asked, as they entered his room.

"I'm staying here. Someone's got to make sure you don't die." Winry said as she helped him cross the room. They paused as they reached Ed's bed.

"What about Liore?" Ed grimaced out as Winry helped him lower himself down onto the soft mattress.

"Liore can wait. Right now I'm worried about you." Winry made sure he was comfortable and pulled the blanket up to Ed's chin.

"Thanks for the concern, mom." Ed rolled his eyes at Winry's dotting actions. But inwardly he was touched and surprised by how much she cared. "So am I going to be okay?"

Winry bit her bottom lip which he'd noticed she always did when she was thinking. "You'll be fine Ed, just as long as you don't do something stupid and reopen the wound."

"Now why would I do that?" Ed's shit eating grin was back. Winry rolled her eyes before turning to exit the room.

"Hey Doc, where are you going?" Ed called after her. Winry stuck her head back, "I'm going to to finish fixing the smithy's roof." She said in a matter of fact voice.

"But it's going to rain out." Ed objected, he didn't want her getting pneumonia or something because of his mess up.

"All the more reason why I need to fix it".

Ed began getting out of the bed, "No wait, I can do it."

"No, you will not!" Winry shouted as she crossed the room and gently pushed him back on the bed. "You will stay here and rest, got it?" Winry was now in 'no nonsense mode' as Ed liked to call it. Reluctantly he sighed and got back under the covers. Winry smiled brightly and stood up, "Okay."

Winry found Den next to the ladder looking guilty, his tail between his leg.

"You know what you did.' Winry put her hands on her hips as she looked down at Den. Den let out a pathetic whine before trotting off to hide somewhere. Winry sighed as she pulled the ladder up and put it into place. Luckily for her there was only one plate left to insert as rain started pouring within a few minutes. After finishing with that she made sure all the horses were in the stable before returning to the house.

Winry's teeth chattered as she lit the fire place. The rain had absolutely soaked her. Glancing over she saw Den asleep in the corner. "You little troublemaker. I'll deal with you later." She looked down at her clothes. 'I better change out of these wet close before I catch a cold.' As Winry climbed the stairs her thoughts turned to Ed and she wondered if he was okay. The plate didn't seem to hit any vital organs, but he could still be in danger. She had read in one of her parents medical books about something called internal bleeding where someone bled inside their bodies. It sounded awful. 'I really hope Ed will be fine. He's been such a good friend. Friend?' She thought. 'Is that what Ed is to me? Well he has been here for months and we do get along some of the time, and he can be really sweet in an immature kind of way. So yeah I guess we're friends.' Winry entered her room and changed into a white cotton sleeping gown.

'Wait, I should check on Ed.' She thought as she got ready for bed. 'I hope that dummy is okay.'

Moving swiftly, she exited her room and went to the guest room that Pinako had given to Ed. Hesitantly she knocked on the door. She heard the bed shifting before hearing his annoyed response, "Yeah, what is it?"

Winry pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hey?" she said softly "How are you doing?"

"Well the blinding pain in my chest has downgraded to a stinging sensation, so you tell me Doc?" Ed drawled. He was sitting on the bed leaning back against the headboard, the candle next to the bed was still burning.

Winry walked over to get a closer look, lifting the blanket to examine the wound. The stitches were holding and there was some small swelling, but no signs of infection or internal bleeding.

"You'll be fine." Winry told him, "You were lucky today, this could very well have ended badly."

"You've always been able to fix me up before." Ed said as he leaned back.

"Yeah I guess I have." Winry sat down on the foot of the bed. "Remember the time I had to fix up your hands after you got into that fight with that man who had a horse with a...what was is? Oh yeah, a horse with a cross on its forehead. Damn, you couldn't work for days after that." She finished with a chuckle.

Ed frowned, "I remember."

"What even caused you to do that?" Winry asked offhandedly. "Based on your hands and the cuts on your face, it looked like you got into a pretty vicious fight."

Ed looked down and he was silent for a moment before saying. "He said something that didn't sit right with me."

Winry raised an eyebrow before smirking. "Let me guess he called you short didn't he?"

Ed scowled and looked down. "No."

Winry furrowed her brow in confusion. "Did he make fun of your hair?"

At this Ed looked up with anger. "What's wrong with my HAIR?" He practically shouted.

"Oh so you haven't noticed? Well you see, it's kinda long. I mean like female long." Winry replied with a teasing voice.

Ed made a face. "Shut up Rockbell, plenty of men wear their hair long."

"Anyway, what was the fight about?" Winry asked. "Don't tell me you just fought a man for no reason."

Ed paused once again, debating what he should and shouldn't tell her. "You." Ed mumbled out.

Winry sat back in surprise. "What?" She asked confused.

"The fight was about you. It was right after you put the shoe on his horse. I was in the pub later that day when he came in with a few friends. He started asking Pitt about you and announced some rather vulgar...ideas that he had."

Winry stared at him open mouth. "S-so you fought this man because he disrespected me?" she asked him quietly.

"Yes." Ed replied unable to meet her gaze.

An awkward silence fell between the two. Winry shifted back and forth unsure of what to do. Ed meanwhile was cursing himself for opening his damn mouth. 'Dammit why did I tell her? She was never supposed to know about that!' He berated himself.

Suddenly he felt the bed shifting and soft lips pressing against his left cheek. Ed froze at the contact and his gaze met with Winry's as she pulled away. She was blushing lightly and he was probably worse off.

"Thank you" she spoke quietly.

Ed could only nod as Winry got to her feet. "But don't do anything that stupid in the future. You know I hate it when you worry me."

"Ok." Ed's brain was still coming back to life.

"You should get some rest." Winry smiled. "Goodnight, Ed."

"Goodnight." Ed muttered as he watched her exit the room and head to her own. Admiring how the white gown flowed around her shapely figure. 'Wow she looks like a freaking angel when she wears white.' He thought dumbly.

He then brought his hand to his cheek and held it there savoring the feeling of her lips against his skin. A goofy grin soon found its way onto his face.

A few minutes later Winry was in her room. Her face still red from the kiss she'd given Ed.

'Why did I do that?' She thought. 'There are other ways to thank a person besides kissing them.'

A few minutes passed before her thoughts turned to the reason why she kissed him. 'I can't believe he fought a guy over me, it's kinda flattering in a...primitive sort of way.'

Winry frowned as she remembered Ed's injuries, his hands were bruised and cut. He had a gash on his forehead as well. 'A man said vulgar things about me and Ed defended my honor. He must like me more than I thought.' Winry blushed to herself.

As she laid on her bed, her thoughts stayed on Ed. 'Plus, he also looks super hot without his shirt….wait what the hell?'

Winry sat up in bed.

'No.' She told herself, 'I can not be attracted to Edward Elric! It's just not possible.'

When she had sat down in Ed's bed, the sight of his muscled chest had distracted her momentarily before she'd shifted her attention to his injury. But now that she was alone, the dirty thoughts were rushing in on her like a dam bursting.

'Okay Winry calm down. So what if I think Ed is handsome, that doesn't mean I'm...sexually attracted to him right?' Winry was blushing even more. 'So what if he has a chest that looked like it was carved out of marble. So what if he has strong, thick arms, a chiseled jaw, and eyes like the burning sun. Oh my god what is wrong with me?'

Winry put her head in hands and groaned. She _was_ sexually attracted to him!

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry and Ed's trip to Liore to drop off the crates had taken three days of carriage riding when it should only have taken one. The reason for this delay was more bad weather and conditions. Yet despite this inconvenience the two of them were actually enjoying the ride immensely. They were able to maintain pleasant conversations throughout the trip, with only a few blow outs. And even during the times when they argued, they still retained a sense of playfulness.

Once they had dropped off the crates, the two started on their journey home. The return trip was a lot shorter than the first and close to the end of it, Winry was getting pretty tired. She had been the one driving the carriage to Liore while Ed had sat back with the crates. This time Ed was sitting next to her and noticed that she was dozing off.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked after he saw that her head was drooping.

Winry startled to attention, then looked at Ed somewhat annoyed.

"Of course, I'm fine." She answered.

Ed scoffed. "You're fading fast Rockbell, wanna tap out?"

"We're almost home. I can mak-" Winry's response was interrupted by a soft yawn.

Ed chuckled, finding her antics cute. "Move over Gearhead, I'm driving."

Winry pouted, but handed the reigns over to Ed, who smirked and turned his attention to maintaining the horses. The two of them entered into a comfortable silence, listening to the soft breeze and enjoying the twilight night.

Ed was pretty proud of himself. He had spent several days in very close proximity to Winry and had been able to restrain himself the entire time. Not that he was saying it was easy. Noooooo, far from it. Dear god, did he want her. It was torture. Every second he was with her he wanted to touch her. Watching those plump lips move as she talked left him with an overwhelming urge to kiss those lips and relish in her no doubt wonderful taste. He wanted to run his hand through her soft hair and inhale her scent. Everything she did seemed to turn him into a hormonal mess. The worst was at night when they had slept next each other in the carriage. Having her be so close to him and listening to all the adorable sounds she made in her sleep had been mind numbing. The second night of their trip had been freezing and they had to spoon each other for warmth. For the entire night they were pressed up against each other. Needless to say Ed didn't get much sleep that night on account of her soft body pressed up against his. Not only that but the fact that she trusted him to sleep next to her and hold her filled him with an indescribably good feeling. Hell, just thinking about it caused his heart to swell. Yep, during this trip Ed had realized that he had fallen hard for the blonde blacksmith. For her dazzling smile and the hypnotic sway of her hips. Yes, of course he was still staring at her ass on occasion. But unfortunately, he hadn't been the only one. When they got to Liore there were an innumerable amount of men who had stared at her far too long for his liking. It wasn't like Winry wore revealing cloths; they were just...complimentary. It was even worse when the old priest they were giving the oil too ogled her shamelessly when she turned around to check her sore feet. This had pissed Ed off immensely and fortunately for that old bastard, he backed off when Ed gave him a glare. What right did that creep have to stare at Winry? His Winry, dammit!

Suddenly Ed felt something slump against his shoulder.

'What the hell?'

He turned his head to the side and his face softened at the sight next to him. Winry was asleep and had fallen against his shoulder. She looked so peaceful and her breaths came out in soft huffs. Ed smiled at her and left her where she was. He continued down the road, enjoying the warmth that she provided.

Later, when they finally reached the farm Winry was still slumped against his shoulder sleeping. Once the carriage came to a stop Ed slowly slid out of the seat, gently lowering Winry until she was lying on her side. Ed took the horses and lead them to the stables. Once the horses were back in their pens, Ed returned to the carriage to find Winry still asleep. Rolling his eyes but finding the sight endearing, Ed scooped Winry up in his arms bridal style and carried her inside. While being careful to not wake her up, Ed enjoyed the feeling of Winry in his arms. She was so warm and soft, it was almost a disappointment when he reached her bedroom. Gently laying her down on the bed, Ed removed her boots and stockings. As he did this, he remembered her earlier complaints of having sore feet. Taking her dainty feet in his hands, he rested them on his lap. His hands gently moved up and down the smooth skin, working the muscles. A pleasured sigh caught Ed's attention and he looked up at Winry's face. She had a pleasant smile on her face, and Ed couldn't help but blush. Maybe he should stop this before she woke up and made things weird. Another sigh from Winry snapped him out of his thoughts. As Ed sat there on the bed rubbing Winry's bare feet, he drank in the sight of her sleeping face.

What did he feel for her?

Yes, he had a very strong physical attraction to her, what man couldn't? But it had to be more then that. At Liore, when those men were eyeing her up, Ed felt jealous. Jealous that these men who didn't know her had the ability to admire her beauty. Along with this jealousy Ed felt a strong need to protect. She had been completely oblivious to their lustful looks. Which had only made him even more overprotective of her. He had stood between Winry and those men, blocking them from being able to get to her even if they had tried. He glared that priest down because he could see the less than holy thoughts going on in his head. If any of those men had dared to touch her, Ed would've killed him with his bare hands. If any of them had made perverted comments about her, he would've fought them then and there. Just like he did with the horse man a few weeks ago. He cared deeply about her; he cared about her safety and her comfort. That was the reason he was right now giving her a foot massage even though her feet had stopped hurting hours ago.

She nagged him and bossed him around every day, yet no matter how difficult the task, he always did it. She was also extremely intelligent, tough, charming, and could be very funny when she wanted to. She wasn't just some pretty face to him, she was the pretty face that he wanted to wake up next to every day for the rest of his life because he was in love with her.

There was no denying it, no other possible explanation. He loved her and everything about her. She had saved his life after all, but this had started a long time before that. Seven months on this farm had culminated with him finding the love of his life

Before he left Ed leaned down and planted a kiss on Winry's forehead, causing Winry to murmur in her sleep and toss a little bit.

"It's ok, go back to sleep." He cooed, stroking her hair as he stood up from the bed. She curled up into a comfortable position with a content smile on her beautiful face.

"Goodnight princess."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **Ok, not a lot happened in this chapter, but in the beginning I wanted to dedicate time to showing Ed and Winry's relationship before the story got started. In the movie it's like "she realized that he meant I love you. She loved him too." Boom, everlasting love. The next chapter is going to be similar to this, but it'll start looking more like the Princess Bride.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews, they really made my day. I hope everyone's a fan of long chapters because it looks like this whole fic is going to be comprised of long chapters.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry wiped the sweat off her forehead as she stuck the stick of molten hot metal into a bucket of water. Swords weren't a particular favorite of Winry's but nobody in this town could make stronger material for it than her. Right now, her grandmother and her were smelting a sword for a courier who wanted to be able to defend himself. Outside, Ed and him were somewhere talking about places that they each had traveled to. They worked wordlessly, performing each step together like it was some synchronized dance; there was no need for words. About halfway through the work Pinako suddenly spoke up.

"Winry can I talk to you?"

Winry looked up to see her grandmother putting down the scabbard that would eventually come with the sword.

"Yes Granny, of course." She answered.

Pinako was serious as she looked Winry straight in the eyes. "I need to talk to you about Edward."

"What!?" Winry's eyes widened. Why did she want to talk about Ed? Had he done something wrong? Did Granny want to send him away?

"I'm not firing the pipsqueak if that's what you're worried about." Pinako said. "I need to talk about something else."

"What is it?" Pinako now had Winry's full attention. Winry sat down on the bench, waiting for her grandmother to begin talking.

After a moment of silence Pinako started speaking, "I want to talk about you and Ed."

"Errrrrrr….what?" Winry had no idea what was going on.

Pinako sighed, this was going to be a lot harder than she had originally thought.

"Winry." She said simply. "Describe your relationship with Ed."

"My relationship with Ed?" Winry asked confused.

"Mmmhmm." Pinako confirmed in deadpan tone.

"Uhhh...well...Ed and I...we..are..friends." Winry stammered out.

"Friends?" Pinako raised an eyebrow.

"Well what the hell do you want me to say? What is this Granny?" Winry stood up defensively.

"Settle down kid, I just want to know how dumb the two of you are." Pinako shook her head.

"Dumb!?" Then it hit Winry. Suddenly it all made sense; the questions, the sarcastic responses. "Are you asking if Ed and I are romantically involved somehow? If so then I can tell you right now that we aren't."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have feelings for him." Winry snapped.

"Why not?" Pinako asked, not convinced in the slightest.

"Because…" Winry paused to think. What was wrong with Ed? He had a temper, but that was hardly a problem for her anymore. He wasn't very tall, but that was just being picky. Other than that there wasn't really anything she could say to Pinako that could qualify as an answer.

"It-it's Ed! Why would I have feelings for Ed?" Winry said exasperated.

"Well I could think of a few reasons." Pinako smirked at Winry's mortified reaction to that. "One, he's actually kind of cute for a little guy. Two, he's pretty handy around the house. Third he's a good person who cares about other people. And fourth, and most importantly, he treats you with the respect that you deserve."

Winry opened her mouth to reply but couldn't come up with anything to counter her grandmother's claim. She looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at Pinako. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked quietly.

Pinako's face softened and she had a gentle smile on her face. "I'm just looking out for my granddaughter...do you have feelings for Ed?"

Winry bit her lip as the question bounced around in her head.

"I already know you find him attractive." Pinako said, Winry's head snapped up at that remark.

"How?"

"I saw you staring at his ass the other day."

"WHAT!" Winry screamed as her face turned tomato red.

"I'm just kidding." Pinako laughed "But thanks for confirming that."

If anymore blood traveled to Winry's face, the rest of her body would probably shrivel up.

"OK! I have feelings for Ed! Happy?" Winry yelled, then quickly covered her mouth having realized what she had just said.

"Quiet down, you don't want the shrimp to here you, do you?" Pinako shushed her.

An awkward silence filled the room as Winry and Pinako stared at each other, Winry too horrified to speak and Pinako choosing her words carefully.

"Winry, I need you to be careful with this." Pinako spoke gently.

"What do you mean?" Winry asked suddenly concerned.

"How long do you think Ed is going to stay here?"

Winry frowned at the question. How long was Ed going to stay here? Why was he even staying here at all?

"I don't know." she said in almost a whisper.

Pinako sighed, "Ed's a very private person. He's been here for months and we know very little about him. Where he comes from? What things does he hope to achieve in his lifetime? Does he have a family that he's planning to return to eventually? Really, if tomorrow he said he was heading out by the end of the day, I wouldn't be shocked. Ed's a traveler, I've seen his kind a thousand times. One day they act like they're here to stay and the next they're practically knocking down the door on their way out. The thing is you never know with people like that. Once some people get the sense of adventure in them they can't stay in the same place for too long. Your grandfather was that type. One day he was here and the next he was gone, leaving me to raise your father by myself. I had no warning and no way to deal with it. All I could do was limp on because I had Urey to care for. Now Ed may be different. He might stay, but he also might go, you don't know. You can't blame people who are like that and you can't control them either. All you can do is make the smart decisions while you can."

Winry absorbed these words in silence. When Pinako was finished she finally spoke up.

"Why did you just drill me on having feelings for Ed and then pull the rug out from under me?" Winry asked looking at her feet.

Pinako walked over to Winry and took her hands, giving them a comforting squeeze. "As I said, I'm looking out for my granddaughter. I want you to be happy and I believe that Edward could make you happy. But I don't want you to have your heart broken by something you have no control over. I don't want to see that happen to you too."

Winry blinked as she felt tears pricking at her eyes. Pinako pulled her into a hug. Winry felt the tears slide down her cheeks. "Winry, what do you feel for Ed?" Pinako spoke softly.

"I-I-I don't know. I have feelings for Ed, but it's not just…" Winry trailed off, unsure of how to describe what she was trying to say.

Pinako smiled, "Then follow your heart sweetie. Just be safe. Ok?"

"Ok" Winry smiled back. Exhaling, she sat back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why am I even crying?"

"I'd blame your mother. She cried the first time I told her about your grandfather. Take the rest of the day off, I'll finish this toothpick."

Winry nodded and stood up to leave. She was still wiping away some extra tears as she exited the smithy, passing Ed as he was coming in. Noticing her tears, Ed paused to look at Winry's retreating back, then to Pinako, and then back to Winry.

"Is she ok?" Ed asked concerned.

"She's fine." Pinako jumped off the bench she was sitting on. "Now if you want to make yourself useful, grab that leather on the shelf, Well hurry up! I'm not getting any younger."

"I would never have guessed?" Ed muttered to himself as he got to work.  
 **  
OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Later that day, Winry was watching Ed as he sat on a stump, staring into the distance. The sun was setting so the sky was right now a brilliant contrast of pink and yellow. The stump was situated on the top of a hill that was right in the middle of their property.

'What is he thinking about?' Winry though the as she watched him. 'Could he be thinking about his home?'

After her conversation with Pinako, Winry had been thinking about the points that had been brought up. Winry understood that her grandma was simply looking out for her and didn't want her to get hurt. Despite that, she really did have feelings for Ed. When granny had asked her about it, Winry hadn't been able to give an actual answer.

'I wanted to say that what I feel is more than just a crush. But what does that mean?' She thought. 'I want Ed to stay here with me and yes, I'd be crushed if he left. So what exactly do I feel for him?'

It was meaningful, more meaningful than anything else she had ever felt in her life, but that also scared her. This was stepping into a realm that she had no experience whatsoever existing in. Going down this path meant leaving behind what she was comfortable with and going into the unknown.

Winry found herself walking over to where Ed was sitting. He turned his head in her direction as she neared him and gave her a smile.

"Hi." Winry gave a small wave as she came to a stop next to the stump.

"Hello." Ed looked back at the sun. "Nice evening isn't it?"

"Yes it is." Winry pulled up her skirt a little so she could comfortably sit down on the ground.

"Oh!" Ed stood up after seeing Winry sit down "If you want to sit down, you can have the stump if you want."

"No, I'm fine. But thank you." Winry smiled at him from the ground.

"Ok, if say so." Ed looked unsure for a moment and then sat down next to her on the ground. Winry raised an eyebrow at him and he just shrugged.

A comfortable silence enveloped them as they enjoyed the pleasant breeze that blew across the hill they were on.

"Hey Ed?" Winry asked looking sideways at Ed.

"Yeah." Ed continued to stare lazily into the distance.

"Do you have a family?"

Ed looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. When he didn't immediately respond, Winry began to regret asking the question.

'Aarrgghh! Why did I just ask such a personal question out of the blue?' She berated herself. 'What's wrong with me.'

Before she could berate herself any further Ed finally spoke up. "No, not really." He seemed somewhat somber.

"What do you mean?" Winry hoped she wasn't being too nosy.

"I lived with my mom for most of my life, but she got sick when I was about 8 and died just after I turned 9. After that I started traveling around on my own, going from place to place."

"Oh." Winry felt bad for bringing this up. "I'm so sorry."

"It's old history." Ed still seemed a little solemn. "Don't worry about it."

"What did you mean when you said 'not really?" Winry wondered.

"I had a father, but he left shortly after I was born and he took my younger brother with him."

Winry raised an eyebrow, "You have a brother?"

"Somewhere I guess." Ed shrugged. "I don't remember him or my father or know either of their names, so I suppose I don't really have a family."

"I'm sorry, that must be hard." Winry said sympathetically.

"Oh it's okay, it's doesn't bother me anymore." Ed spoke sincerely.

The two of them were silent for a moment before Ed asked curiously,

"Why did you ask me if I had a family?"

Winry blushed lightly, "I was curious, you've been here such a long time. I just wondered if somewhere you had a family to get back to."

That got Ed thinking. It was true that he once planned on leaving, but things were different now. He had a very big reason to stay and no reason to leave. 'But what's the use, she probably still thinks I'm an annoying asshole.' He thought sadly. 'She'd probably want some handsome prince or a knight in shining armor.'

Still he had no reason whatsoever to leave. When he had first set out after his mother had died, he tried finding his father and brother. But years of dead ends and strangers shaking their heads had strayed him from that mission. 'What is out there that I could possibly find? I get food and shelter here, and there's...Winry.' Just thinking her name made him smile. 'Winry makes me genuinely happy. So yeah, I guess leaving really isn't an option for me.'

Winry couldn't keep it in any longer so she blurted it out. "How much longer are you going to stay here?" She squeaked and covered her mouth. 'Why can't I keep my damn mouth shut these days?'

Ed was taken aback by the question then felt slightly hurt, "Do you want me to leave?" Was that why she brought up his family? Was she looking for an easy way to tell him he was fired. Despite his earlier decision about not leaving, if she didn't want him here any longer he would leave. He'd do anything for her, even if it meant he had to leave.

Winry gasped and shook her head frantically, "NO! I don't want you to go. I uh-I just wanted to know if you were planning on leaving?"

Ed looked solemn, he was unconvinced. "If you want me to go Winry, I'll go."

"No that's not what I want!" Winry nearly screeched.

"Then what are you asking?" Ed asked. He was starting to get impatient.

Winry muttered something under her breath that Ed couldn't hear.

"What?" He asked.

"I..I..uh" Winry swallowed hard, then suddenly shot to her feet, startling Ed, and bolted towards the house. Not looking back until she was well out of sight for Ed.

'What the hell was that?' He thought, confused and a little hurt.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry avoided Ed for the rest of the evening. When Ed was in the house, Winry was in the smithy. When Ed ventured out to the smithy, Winry had gone to feed the horses. After he looked for her out in the fields, he found out she'd gone back to the house. She ate dinner early and wasn't at the table, by then Ed had had enough. Right after dinner he found himself standing outside her door.

He knocked on the door. "Winry, it's me."

"Go away!" He heard from the other side of the door.

'What could I have done to upset her this much?' Ed thought.

"At least tell me what I did?" he asked.

There was silence on the other end and Ed's patience had run out. "I'm coming in Winry." He warned before opening the door.

His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Winry. She was laying on the bed with her face in a pillow. Ed's anger softened and he cautiously approached her. He sat down on the bed and put on hand on her shoulder.

"Winry, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." Her muffled voice came through the pillow.

Ed growled, "Come on, just tell me already."

Winry turned her head so she was resting her cheek on the pillow, looking at him with those blue eyes. "It's you."

"Me?" Ed said bewildered. 'Shit, what did I do.'

"Yes dummy, you! I can't stop thinking about you. Everyday all I can think about is you, Edward Elric, and it's driving me crazy!" Winry turned her face back into the pillow. "But please don't go Ed, I couldn't bear it if you left me."

Ed's heart was pounding and an indescribable feeling was filling his chest, 'Is she saying what I thinks she is.' He thought hopefully.

"Winry? What are you saying?"

Winry let out a loud muffled groan into the pillow. She sat up suddenly and turned to look Ed directly in the eye,

"Ed I-I love you."

At this she looked down, unable to meet his eyes. Scared for any kind of rejection that he might throw at her. She was surprised when she felt his hand tilting her chin up. Her azure eyes met his golden ones and what she saw almost took her breath away. Ed had the happiest smile that she had ever seen on another person, and his eyes seemed to be clouded by something. It wasn't like the time in the smithy where his look had startled her. Right now the way Ed was looking at her was filling her with warmth and she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Ed gently cupped her cheek. Winry's breath caught in her throat as Ed leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Ed couldn't believe what was happening! Winry, the woman he was hopelessly in love with, had just told him the she loved him and he was kissing her! It was everything he thought it would be and more. She tasted so sweet, and her lips were so soft. 'Oh god if this keeps up, I might have a heart attack.' He thought as he continued to move his lips against hers.

Winry had yet to respond to the kiss, as she was no doubt still reeling from the flood of emotions going through her head. Ed kept kissing her, gently running his hand through her hair, trying to coax her into enjoying the kiss. Winry snapped out of her stupor and began to kiss Ed back enthusiastically, much to his delight.

'Oh my!' she thought, 'I'm kissing Ed. But wait, what does this mean?' Winry pulled back from the kiss, panting. Before she could speak, Ed beat her to it.

"I love you Winry, I have for a long time."

That was all Winry needed as she smiled brightly before pulling Ed back into a another mind numbing kiss. The two of them fell back onto the bed, their mouths still connected in a sensual dance of tongues and lips. Ed, laying on top of her, began running his hands up and down her body; venturing to all of the places that had teased and enticed him. His hands set her skin on fire and she welcomed his touch.

His traveling hands caused Winry to moan softly and arch her back, breaking the kiss. Undaunted, Ed began kissing and sucking at the soft, perfect flesh on her neck. The sounds she was making were music to his ears. Winry, eyes closed in bliss, whimpered and exposed her neck to give him more access while her own hands began exploring his body. As the two groped each other insatiably, Ed moved down her neck to where it meet her shoulder, leaving love bites in his wake as he started running his tongue across her flesh causing her to whimper softly. Soon it was Ed's turn to moan as Winry began nibbling on his ear. Both of their minds were clouded by compassion and lust. Ed stopped his assault on her neck to kiss her lips again as his right hand grazed her left breast. Winry stilled for half a second then took his hand in hers and placed it on her breast, giving him a smile and an affirmative nod. Groaning, Ed began to gently knead the soft mound of flesh in his hand while his other slid under her to cup her magnificent bum. All the while he continued to kiss her with as much passion as he could muster.

Due to their activities Winry's skirt was riding high on her thighs and she wrapped her left leg around his hip, pressing them together. Ed's hand left her bum to run along her smooth leg. Suddenly Ed's mind began to clear from the lust when he felt himself digging into her inner thigh. 'Wait-wait is this moving too quickly? Shouldn't we at least talk about this before we go there?' Sighing in annoyance at his own thoughts, he reluctantly broke the kiss with Winry and pulled his head back.

Winry whined in protest and tried pulling him back to her lips. Ed grabbed her hand in his, "Wait Winry, think about where this is going?"

"Don't you want too?" She asked innocently.

"Hell yes I want to, it's just uh...I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Who said you were taking advantage of me" she flashed a seductive smirk.

Ed almost felt his nose bleed, when did she get so damn sexy? "I just don't want to do anything that we may regret." He said as he sat up on the bed and moved away from her. This helped Winry's mind clear as well and she realized that Ed was right.

"Ok, maybe you're right." Winry huffed and sat up, resting her back against the headboard. "We did kind of jump right into it." She tried to keep her face from blushing.

"I guess." Ed's face had gone red from the embarrassment. Winry's had too, but she also looked troubled. "Hey, what is it?" He asked cupping her face.

"So did you mean it? When you said you loved me?" Winry asked, her azure eyes big and innocent.

"Yes." Ed said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Well...good." Winry blushed, "I meant it too."

"I know." Ed smiled. A moment of silence fell over the two as they stared into each other's eyes before Winry looked down.

"So what happens now?" She asked shyly.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked.

"How is this" she referenced herself and Ed with her hand. "Going to work?"

Ed inhaled. "I don't know. I'm not leaving you, that much I know." As he said this he moved himself so that he was sitting next to Winry against the headboard.

Ed paused for a second then exclaimed "Oh Shit!"

"What?" Winry startled.

"Your Grandmother! What are we going to do about her?"

Winry smiled, "Relax Ed, she already knows." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"How can she..?" Ed was confused.

"She talked to me the other day. She guessed that I had feelings for you and gave me a warning."

"Was that why you were asking all those questions earlier?"

Winry nodded, then her eyes drifted to something still prominent in his lap. "Uhh Ed?

"Yes?"

"You...still have a situation there" Winry looked away blushing as she pointed.

Ed paled as he looked down and saw that he was still going strong in the hard-on department.

"Oh shit" He covered himself with his hands.

"It's nice to know I have that effect on you." Winry smirked.

"You have no idea." Ed muttered under his breath.

"So you told me we should stop because it wasn't the right time?" Winry asked

"Yeah."

"Is there ever a right time?"

Ed thought for a moment. "Whenever we think we're ready. I won't force you to do anything that you're uncomfortable with."

Winry bit her lip. "Have you ever...done it?"

"Yes." Ed said after a pause.

"Oh." Winry said quietly.

Ed looked at her. "Are you a virgin, Winry?"

She nodded her head nervously.

'He was probably hoping for a woman with experience. What if I'm no good, I don't know anything about pleasuring a man.' She thought pessimistically.

Ed could see her troubled thoughts written on her face. The woman with whom he had slept with before had meant nothing to him, so at the time he hadn't felt the need to prove anything. Even with his experience he was worried about disappointing Winry. A woman's first time, anyone's first time really, was a very special moment. During his previous encounter his partner had seemed to enjoy it, but she could very well have been phoning it in.

"Hey." Ed took Winry's hand in his. "Just because I've done it before doesn't mean I'm some kind of a expert or that I'm even any good. Don't feel like you have to live up to anything. And besides." Ed smirked mischievously, "From what I saw a few minutes ago you'll be fine."

Winry blushed a dark red, "Shut up." She mumbled.

Ed's grin widened as he decided to tease her more, "No I mean it, you were really getting into it. I would never have guessed you were such a hellcat in bed." He whispered in a husky voice.

"Ed, please stop." Winry whined.

Ed chuckled and kissed Winry on the forehead. She huffed and turned away from him but he knew she wasn't angry at him.

"Winry?"

"Yes?"

"Can I stay here tonight? In your bed, just sleeping" Golden eyes once again meet azure.

"Just sleeping?" Winry raised an eyebrow.

"Just sleeping." Ed confirmed.

Winry smiled brightly, causing Ed to feel warm inside. "Ok."

"Great." Ed smiled as he repositioned himself so that he was under the covers; he held up the blanket for Winry to join him. Winry happily scooted next to Ed and laid down comfortably as Ed wrapped his arms around her, her head resting on his chest. Ed smiled, ever since his mom died he had been traveling from one place to another. He never stayed in one place for too long. But this was different, 'I feel at home here, at the Rockbell home. For so long I was looking for my family, but I think I found something better' He tightened his grip on Winry, loving the feel of her in his arms. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, enjoying her pleasant scent. She made him feel complete and he was never going to let her go.

"Hey Ed?" Winry spoke after a few minutes.

"Yeah"

"What about your little problem?"

"Oh yeah." Ed said awkwardly as he pushed off from Winry. "Um, give me a moment." He got off the bed and left the room. The door closed and there was silence for a few moments before Winry heard Ed shout.

"WAIT! LITTLE?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

In the following weeks, Ed and Winry discovered that being in love didn't really change how they acted. They still bickered and fought over the smallest of things. But there was now a playfulness to their spats. For Ed and Winry the following weeks passed in complete bliss. They often acted like love sick children, much to the annoyance of Pinako. She accepted their relationship, but kept an eye out for any funny business.

At the moment they were on their way back to the house. Winry laughed as Ed continued to struggle with carrying the sack of horse feed and mechanical tools that they had bought at a market in Resembool. Recently they had been short on money but the vendor had given them half off for fixing his stand.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Winry skipped next to Ed as he trudged along the road leading back to the house.

"I'm fine. But if you want to buy some more useless junk, I think my left shoulder isn't totally dislocated." Ed grumbled.

Winry laughed again and gave Ed a kiss on the cheek. "By the way it isn't useless. This is our livelihood. How else are we supposed to put food on the table."

"Buy a pack mule." Ed grumbled, but smiled none the less.

When they reached the house Ed dropped all of the weight off his shoulders and fell to the ground with a tired groan.

"Don't be so dramatic." Winry rolled her eyes, looking down at him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm not." Ed weakly protested. "My back was telling me to collapse like a dead goat. I had no objections, so why not?"

Winry sighed, but smiled anyway. Suddenly both their attention was grabbed by Pinako shouting.

"Well why don't you take the whole damn house!"

Ed and Winry watched as a tax collector came stumbling out of the house, carrying a bag of whatever he had collected.

"Sorry ma'am" The man said as he barely ducked a spoon that was flung at him. "But this is the king's tax."

"Well shove it up your ass!" Pinako shouted.

Ed and Winry stared, unmoving, as the scared man ran past them and down the street without looking back. They both turned to Pinako who looked at them, having calmed down considerably. "Well don't just stand there, get that equipment into the smithy".

Ed let out a long-suffering groan as he dragged himself to his feet and started picking up what he had just put down. Winry grabbed a good chunk of it too, receiving a thankful smile from Ed.

"What did they take this time Granny?" Winry asked.

"Just some schillings I was saving for a rainy day" Pinako grumbled, "Damn that King and his blood money."

"You know" Ed trudged past as he carried the now lighter load. "From what I hear the King is too busy trying to remember what his name is to lead a nation. It's his stinking son that's raising all the taxes."

"What does that brat need more money for? The chair he eats breakfast on is worth more than our house." Pinako headed into the door.

"I heard it was for the military." Winry added.

"Oh great" Pinako humorously laughed. "That's just what we need another fuckin war!"

"Apparently he keeps going on about the dangers of Creta." Winry continued after placing the horse feed down. "That we need to prepare ourselves for an inevitable attack."

"That's horseshit" Pinako took a swig of ale. "How do you know about that by the way?"

"The last tax collector was very talkative." Winry said. The last collector had tried flirting with her until Ed chased him off.

"Well it has nothing to do with us." Ed came back in from the back door before looking at Winry. "Hey Win?"

"Yes Ed?" Winry perked up.

"The smithy door is sticking again."

Winry let out a loud groan. "How many times do I need to fix that damn thing? I'll be right back."

Ed snuck in a kiss to the forehead as Winry passed him and a quick smack on the bum, causing her to punch him lightly in the shoulder. Ed watched her leave and then turned to Pinako suddenly solemn.

"How much longer can we keep this up?" He asked.

"If you're referring to the smithy, then my answer to you is forever." Pinako took another swig.

"I checked the extra shillings we had stashed under the stairs. It's almost empty." Ed argued.

Pinako shrugged, "It's been a slow couple of months."

Ed narrowed his eyes. "You know it's more serious than that!"

"Well what do you insist we do about it?" Pinako snapped

Ed went quiet and looked at the ground.

"Is there a reason why you didn't want Winry to be in here while we had this conversation?" Pinako looked Ed straight in the face.

"I, uh, I was thinking about leaving." Ed's eyes went to the ground.

Pinako's face remained emotionless, but her eyes were blazing with potential fury.

"We need the money." Ed continued, "And I know some guys far away who can help us out. But I would have to leave for a while in order for it to work out."

Pinako sighed, eyes softening. "How long would it take?"

"Maybe a year."

"Will it be dangerous?" Pinako demanded softly.

"No" Ed said, "At least it shouldn't be. It involves sea voyages so the dangers of the sea could be taken into account I guess."

"Ed" Pinako said "You don't have to do this. We've had hard times before. We can outlast this one as well."

"No." Ed spoke determinedly. "This is my home now and I need to provide for it…...and I need money so I can marry Winry."

Pinako's mouth opened in surprise as her response died in her throat. She collected herself and smiled sadly, knowing that these upcoming months were going to be hard on Winry but also that her granddaughter had truly found the man of her dreams.

"Well I was hoping for a guy a little taller, but I guess you'll do." She smirked at him.

Ed bit back a blowup and, before swallowing it down, went back to looking somber again. "I wanted to let you know first. I-I..don't know how to tell her."

"Depends, when do you plan on leaving?"

Ed shrugged, "Soon."

"Just tell me one thing Ed." Pinako stared him down.

"What?" Ed asked.

"Tell me that you're coming back."

"Of course!" Ed almost sounded angry.

Pinako smiled, "Then tell her that."

"What if she doesn't believe me?" Ed asked running a hand through his hair.

"Ed, you dimwit, Winry loves you. If you tell her you're coming back then she will believe you." Pinako said.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed watched Winry as she combed her hair. He stood silently in the door frame just watching her. She looked so beautiful. Her white night gown always gave her an angelic look. A happy smile was on her face as she brushed her flowing hair with her comb. She didn't have much of a mirror or a comb, but they had to work with what they had, so it was enough.

Ed took this moment to imprint the image of Winry being happy into his mind, as he figured he wasn't going to see much of that before he left.

Reluctantly breaking the happy peace, Ed knocked on the door. Winry looked over and her smile grew at the sight of him. "Hey Ed, what's up?". Her cheerful voice caused his heart to squeeze.

"Winry, we need to talk."

Hearing the seriousness in his voice Winry frowned and put the comb down. As she turned around in her seat, she searched Ed's face for any explanation.

Ed could see concern in her eyes and decided to get this over with as soon as possible.

"I'm going to be going away for a while." He said. "But I promise that I'll be back."

"What!" Winry rose from her chair, confusion and anger mixing on her face. "Where are you going?"

Ed sighed, "It's far away."

"Why?" Winry's voice cracked.

"It's for us." Ed took Winry's hand in his. "We need the money."

"Money!" Winry screeched, she pulled her hand away, glaring at him. "We don't need money."

"You know we do, Winry. How much longer are we going to last like this?" Ed argued

"We'll manage" A tear escaped Winry's eye, which she quickly brushed off.

"Do you really want to risk it? You're just as worried as I am, I can see it in your eyes. We're running out of money and when that happens you and Pinako will lose the smithy."

Winry wiped away some more tears. "You said you'd never leave." She quietly wailed.

"I know" Ed pulled her into his arms. "I don't want to leave, but I have too."

"I'll come with you." Winry said into his shoulder.

"No" Ed gently pulled her head back to look into her eyes. "Pinako needs you here."

Winry pushed herself off of Ed and walked away.

"Come on, Winry!" Ed followed.

Winry sat down on the bed, looking at her lap. Ed sighed and sat down next to her.

"How long?" Winry asked.

"I don't know" Winry could tell by the way his voice sounded that he truly was reluctant to do this. "Maybe a year."

"A year?" She mumbled. It was more of a statement then a question.

"I'm sorry." Ed leaned his head against Winry's.

"What exactly are you going to be doing for a year?"

"Once when I was traveling near a river I saw a man drowning right in the middle of it. I jumped in and saved him. He asked me my name, I told him. He said that he was a captain of a trading ship for a company called Briggs, and if I ever felt like becoming a sailor then he'd make room for me."

"You're going to set sail with a sea captain who almost drowned in a river." Winry looked at him incredulously.

"He was having a bad day, the skiff he was using was- nevermind, it's not important. I'll send most of the money I make back to you."

"Ed, you d-"

"The little that I keep" Ed paused, the moment of truth. "I'm going to save up so that when I come back...we can get married."

Winry's head snapped up as she looked at Ed in complete shock. Ed couldn't help but smirk at her dumbfounded expression.

"What?" She asked softly.

"When I come back, I'm going to use the money that I make so we can get married." Ed smiled as he repeated himself.

Winry's mouth hung open for a second until it was replaced by the most genuinely happy smile that Ed had ever seen on her face. Winry was crying again, but it looked like these were tears of joy.

Ed pulled Winry into a kiss that had no wandering hands or tongues. The type of kiss that said all that needed to be said. When Ed pulled back Winry was still crying.

"Hey" Ed brushed a tear away. "Enough with the crying, you'll dehydrate at the rate you're going."

"I love you Ed" Winry hugged Ed.

"I know" Ed said. "And that's why I'm coming back."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

It was finally the day. In a reply to the letter that Ed had sent to the captain, his job request had been accepted and he had to report to the harbor docks in Dublith by the morning of the 15th. Because of the distance between Resiembol and Dublith Ed would have to leave on the 14th. Winry had been dreading this day for the last week and although she was masking her growing dread, Ed could see it plain as day. He himself was also experiencing his own source of dread. The more he thought about it the more he was worried that when he got back, Winry would have moved on. He felt bad for doubting her and the love that she had consistently shown throughout this hard week. But he had to be honest with himself, it was going to be a year, at least, until he ever saw her again. A lot can happen in a year.

'What if she doesn't feel like waiting anymore? What if she meets a guy who can provide for her without having to travel to the other side of the world? Can I really ask her to wait like this?'

As he thought this his eyes fell on her. They were standing there at the road that was going to lead him far away from her. He had said goodbye to Pinako and even to Den, but saying goodbye to her was something else entirely. They stood in silence. Unsure of what to say even though they knew that these last moments were the only ones they were going to get.

Ed cleared his throat and opened and closed his mouth. Winry looked to be on the verge of tears again, but was holding it together. He had to say something.

"Well I guess-"

Before he could finish Winry flung herself onto him wrapping her arms around him. Ed quickly hugged her back just as fiercely as he buried his face into her hair.

"I'm going to wait for you." Her heard her whisper against his neck.

Ed looked into her watery eyes, feeling his watering as well.

"I'm going to wait for you" she repeated. "No matter how long I have to wait. I'll do it for you."

Her lips met Ed's in a final moment of compassion. Both of them trying to to push all their love and desperation into this act of love as they clutched each other like their lives depended on it.

They broke the kiss together and both their hearts fell knowing that the moment of separation was upon them.

"I love you." Ed said. "Never forget that. I love you."

"I won't. I promise." Winry hugged him again. The lost of warmth and security that Ed felt when she ended the hug almost made him want to forget the whole thing and stay.

"You should get going, you're going to miss your boat." Winry had tears flowing down her cheeks.

Ed sighed and looked down the road. 'Time to go.' He looked back to Winry. "I'll send a letter with money every time we port ok?"

"Ok" Winry said.

"I'll be back before you know it." Ed forced a smile and after a moment's hesitation started walking down the road.

"Ed!" Winry called for him after he had walked a good distance. Ed turned around to look at her. "I'll wait for you, just come home safe."

Ed smiled, "I know, see you soon."

And then he was gone.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed had followed true to his word. About every week or so Winry would receive a letter from a courier addressed to her. With the letter was a bag filled with most of Ed's earnings. That plus the cash that they were able to squeeze out of the smithy meant Winry and Pinako were able to keep their business floating.

What Winry enjoyed more than the money was the letters themselves. In it Ed often wrote about all the new places that he had been too and the people he had met. Despite everything she still wished that she was with him and hearing about his adventures made the ache even worse. But she loved them none the less. At the end of every letter Ed would tell her how much he loved her and missed her.

Winry didn't think that this day was going to be any different. After several packages from Ed she had become pretty good at predicting when the next one would arrive. As she chopped wood for a fire, Winry looked up to see a courier walking towards the house. Smiling excitedly, she dropped the ax and ran over to meet him. She gave the man a shilling for his troubles and waited happily for him to give her Ed's package.

Her expression changed to one of confusion when the courier only gave her a letter and no bag. Taking the letter with uncertain hands, Winry looked up to see the courier already leaving.

"Wait!" She called. "Was there a bag of shillings that came with the letter?"

"No miss." The courier said. "Just the letter." With that he turned and walked away.

Confused, Winry headed into the house clutching the scrolled up paper. Sitting down by the kitchen table, she unwrapped the ribbon that kept the paper sealed. Unrolling the letter, Winry felt anxiety begin to rise in her when she saw that it wasn't Ed's handwriting.

Dear Rockbell Household,

As a representative of the Briggs shipping company, I regret to inform you that the Xerxes, the ship that Mr. Elric was stationed on was-

Winry froze when she read the rest of the sentence. It was like every inch of her had suddenly gone numb. She felt her throat squeeze and her eyes sting.

-attacked by the pirate known as Greed.

The was no reason to read any further. The letter didn't have to explain it for her. Everybody knew that the pirate Greed never took prisoners.

"No." Winry croaked as she grabbed handfuls of her hair and began pacing around the room in a pitiful attempt to quell the burning agony that was rising in her chest.

"no, no, no, no, no, no"

Winry tried to fight it but the misery consumed her and she let out a strangled sob.

Attacked by the pirate known as Greed

It felt like something snapped inside of her and all of strength that was keeping her up vanished as her world fell apart.

"Edward!" Winry whimpered out as she sank to her knees on the floor. It was overwhelming; she couldn't breath; she couldn't think. All that she knew was that Edward was dead. Her Ed was gone! Sobs wrecked her body as the world around her disappeared. It was like waves of agony crashing into her again and again. She didn't acknowledge Pinako rushing to her side or her dropping the letter in shock when she read its contents. Trapped in the depths of despair Winry was able to form one lucid thought.

'I will never love again.'  
 **  
OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **They say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.**

 **It's going to be Winry's boat for a while. Get ready, things are going to get nasty**.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everybody, I hope the wait hasn't been too long. To BakaFangirl, I don't know if you got my message but thank you for your generous offer and I would love for you to make a cover photo for this story. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful reviews.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Enough Winry, put down the damn tools!"

Winry barely acknowledged her grandmother as the hammer and pliers were pulled from her grasp. Pinako set the tools down, and took Winry's hands to examine them.

"Damn it Winry, your blisters are bleeding again!"

Winry gave no response as she simply stood up and left the smithy.

"Wait!" Pinako called after her. "At least let me bandage them."

Winry didn't stop, she just kept walking; leaving drops of blood on the grass as she went. She walked unevenly, as if her balance was off.

Sitting down with her face in her hands Pinako let out a tired sigh. Winry had been like this now for the last 5 months, ever since she received the letter that told them that Edward was dead. It seemed like she got worse with each day, losing herself bit by bit. To deal with her grief Winry had thrown herself into her work and through that they had been able to keep the business going. The only problem was that Winry didn't seem to care about her health at all.

Later at dinner, Winry once again had consumed only a quarter of the food that she had been given. As she got up to leave Pinako stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back down.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the smithy" Winry practically whispered. "I need to finish that order for new carriage latches."

"No you won't!" Pinako glared. "Finish the dinner that I made for you."

"I'm not hungry." Winry's eyes had an empty look to them

"Bullshit, at least eat a few more spoonfuls"

"I wanna go back to work" Pinako's eyes nearly bulged out of her head at this.

"You've done enough work for one day, for this week for that matter."

"We need to keep up-" Winry mummered.

"You need to take a break." Pinako yelled. She took a deep breath knowing that yelling wasn't going to get anything done. "Ever since Edward died you have been working nonstop. Yes I know you needed to find a way to cope with the grief, lord knows I had to. I'd thought that working as a means to deal with your problems was better then drinking but it appears that I was wrong. You work and you work, without ever taking any breaks. You get blisters but you keep working. The blisters pop and your hands are covered in blood and still you keep working. You don't eat or sleep enough to do what you keep doing and then you collapse in the middle of working. I am tired of walking in to find you sprawled all over the ground, too tired and deprived to get back up. I've had to nurse you back to health five times in the last three months and every time you don't give yourself enough time to recover before jumping right back into work. I know we have to work harder now that it's just us, but I refuse to just stand back and watch my granddaughter, the only family that I have left, work herself into her own grave."

Winry looked down at her lap feeling guilty at the worry that she was causing her grandmother.

Pinako took Winry's hands in hers. "I'm not angry at you Winry. But I'm begging you, please, I don't want to lose you too. You need to take care of yourself. Ed wouldn't want you to be like this."

With that Pinako could see tears pricking at Winry's eyes and she pulled her into a comforting hug. That was all Pinako could give her. Anything else she could say had already been said. It was in Winry's hands now, but she was going to be there for her granddaughter every step of the way.

Later Winry sat lonely in her room, the only sounds being the creaking of the old house and the occasional gust of wind from outside. She'd heard Pinako's speech before, it was one that had been on repeat for….Winry actually didn't know how long it had been. Time just didn't hold that much significance to her anymore.

It wasn't that she didn't understand what her grandma was saying, she did. As she looked at her hands, wrapped in rags that had been bled through, she thought about Pinako's words.

'I don't want to work myself to death. It's just when I'm not working I think about...work is the only thing that can keep that away.'

Every time she considered putting down her tools her thoughts drifted towards him. Sleep wasn't much better. Every night she dreamed of the two of them being together again and every morning she had to experience the feeling of losing him again. Outside a rabbit made a sound that meant it had been killed by some predator. That rabbits probably didn't know the pain that always followed death. Pain for the survivors; having to find the strength to carry on, knowing full well who you were leaving behind. Rabbits were lucky.

"Oh Ed...what has happened to us?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Nine months later, Den whined as he looked sadly at Winry. He trotted over to Winry as she sat on the stump. Den sat down in front of her, cocking his head with a whine. Winry looked down at Den briefly before looking back at the sunset. Den nudged her hand with his snout, trying to get a reaction out of her. When that didn't work Den laid down in front of the stump, curled up next to Winry's feet.

"Winry!" Pinako's voice rang in the distance.

Winry turned her head slightly to see her grandmother sprinting over the field to her. Winry stood up, startling Den, and walked over to meet her grandmother.

"What is it Granny" Winry asked softly.

Pinako was breathing heavily, "Damn, getting old really puts you out of shape. Anyway, some rich type's carriage broke down the road. He sent a fancy bodyguard to and I quote 'Fetch us."

"Ok" Winry monotoned.

"Oh if we hurry up I heard we'll get our weight in gold or something. Either way it sounds like a good deal." Pinako said.

Winry nodded and went to the smithy to grab her tools. "What exactly broke?" She asked.

"The wheel."

Grabbing what she needed to bring Winry set out to the road. At the entrance to the stone barrier that separated their property from the road, stood a soldier on horseback. He was a wearing royal blue, which meant the passenger in the carriage was a member of the royal court if he had these soldiers as bodyguards. The soldier looked surprised when he saw Winry coming towards him, then he looked annoyed.

"I told the old woman to get the young blacksmith who lived here."

Winry sighed. "You're looking at her, but if my help is not wanted then I'll go."

Winry turned to leave. "Wait!" She heard the guard. She turned and the soldier had shifted to allow room on his horse for her to get on.

"I guess chivalry isn't dead" she muttered humorlessly.

She climbed on the horse clutching her tools and the soldier kicked off down the road. After several minutes of riding Winry saw a fancy horse drawn carriage missing a wheel. The wood carvings were elegant and the horses wore fabric that looked better then anything she herself owned.

'Don't some people have it lucky', she thought darkly.

When the horse stopped she dismounted and surveyed the scene. There were about a dozen other Knights in blue, most of them on horseback, their metal armor shining in sunlight. They all had perplexed looks on their faces when they looked at Winry, who simply ignored them. She knelt down next to where the wheel should have been and examined the damage. Her guess had been right, the hatch holding the wheel had broken. As she stood up to get her tool bag off of the horse she heard a voice come from inside the carriage.

"Is that bloody blacksmith here yet?" Came a bored voice from the carriage.

One of the Knights stepped forward. "Um, yes your Grace….she is."

'Grace?' Winry thought.

"She?" She heard the voice sneer from inside the carriage.

"Yes, your Grace." The knight bowed slightly.

The big decorative door to the carriage opened and a silly looking set of stairs fell into place. A set of boots carefully walked down them before the man wearing them came into view. A young man, who looked to be in his late twenties stepped out and and looked at her with cynical eyes.

Winry met his gaze as she took in his appearance. The best way she could describe him was lifeless. He had pale skin and black hair. His eyes were black with seemingly no irises. He was wearing a elegant clothes that matched the color of the soldiers. His mouth opened slightly before turning into an amused smirk, like he was expecting her to do something.

"What are you doing girl?" A soldier next to the man barked.

Winry shrugged.

"That is Prince Selim, your future king! Kneel!" The metal fool's face was starting to become red.

"Now, now soldier." The Prince said, not taking his eyes off of Winry. "This lovely lady has taken time out of her day to come all the way down here and lend us a hand. I think that shows enough respect. King, my friend, do tell your men to hold their tongues."

"Consider it done sire." Came a monotone voice.

Winry's gaze followed the voice and landed on a very tall man with an eyepatch. This man wasn't wearing armor like the rest of the soldiers, but was definitely military. His hair was black and rather neat, he looked to be rather old but was very fit looking. Winry made eye contact with his one grey eye and she felt a shiver go down her spine. His eye was cold and calculating, almost as if he was sizing her like she was a threat. Breaking her contact with the intimidating man, she looked back to the Prince at the sound of his voice.

"Well blacksmith? Do hurry up. I am expected back at court sometime today." His voice was quiet and serpent-like. Winry wouldn't be surprised if he had a forked tongue.

Silently Winry got to work and in no time the wheel was securely back on the carriage. The whole time she had been working she was aware of the Prince starring at her. 'Fixing things for royalty? I'm certainly going up in the world.' Winry droned in her thoughts. But the Prince's stare was kinda distracting.

When the wheel had been approved by the one eyed man the soldiers all began mounting their horses.

"Oh King" She heard the Prince say. "Do make sure this lovely lady is fairly compensated."

'King' the eye patched man handed her a large bag of shillings, which Winry accepted, careful not to make eye contact again.

After taking the bag she turned to find the Prince standing right in front of her.

"Tell me, my lady, what is the name of the woman who just came to my rescue." He said with an unnerving smile.

"Winry." She spoke.

"Winry" He repeated with relish, "That's quite a pretty name."

"Thank you"

"Haywood" The Prince ordered, "Give Miss Winry a ride back to her home."

Winry turned to her on the horse, but stopped when she felt the Prince take her hand.

"I thank you Winry, for all of your help." He gave her hand a quick kiss, before letting it go.

As Winry got on the horse and began riding away she thought about what just happened.

'So that's what royalty is like. His eyes were so lifeless, no color or emotion. Nothing like Ed's.'

Winry paused sadly, then went back to her thoughts.

'When he kissed my hand, I didn't feel anything. I wasn't charmed or creeped out. There was just nothing there. And that look he was giving me as I left. It was like he knew something that I didn't.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

With the money that Winry had earned from fixing a single wheel, Pinako and her were able to stay well ahead of all of the various taxes imposed by the Prince. Winry felt empty at not having to do as much work. Her free time only ever led to eventual sadness. Lucky for her the roof of the smithy once again needed new plates. Pushing down nostalgic memories of Ed, she worked diligently with the plating. Checking twice to make sure that no mistakes were made. Anything to pass the time. She was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't notice the horseman until he was right below her.

"Hello ma'am" The man made his presence known.

Winry glanced down to see an official looking man dressed in blue. 'What is it now?' She thought.

When he saw that he had her attention the man gave a greeting bow before speaking again. "You are the young blacksmith who fixed the Prince's carriage?"

Winry nodded.

"Oh good" The man beamed. "Well I am here to inform you that the Prince himself is requesting your permission to enter your home for a meal."

'What the fuck?'

"The Prince is coming here?" Winry asked narrowing her eyes.

"He is just down the road ma'am." The man pointed behind him. "You should probably prepare your food. He is the Prince after all."

'I thought I was being asked for my permission?' Winry thought sarcastically.

She jumped down from her latter and headed into the house. Pinako had her arms folded in the kitchen. "I've just been informed that I'm making dinner for a very special guest." She raised an eyebrow at Winry.

"What?" Winry asked.

"Did you at any point invite the Prince to dinner?"

"No!" Winry snapped.

"Well you certainly must have made an impression." Pinako got going with the cooking. "What do you even cook for a Prince?"

"I'll make a pie." Winry got to work. She hadn't had to make a pie in a long time.

Soon enough the sound of the door creaking announced the Prince's arrival. Winry looked over and saw the Prince standing at the door. He was wearing a heavy brown coat and black gloves. His had a suspicious smirk on, she didn't know if is was meant to be amused or condescending. Whatever it was she didn't care too much for it.

"Charming" His black eyes settled on her and he smiled. Winry turned back to the pie. This was going to be a long night.

The Prince sat down at the table, removing his coat and gloves. Winry was quickly finished with the pie and set it down in the middle of the table.

Winry, Pinako, and the Prince sat there is silence for a moment before the Prince pushed his plate forward.

'What is he…he wants us to cut him a slice?' Winry inwardly sighed as she stood up and quickly used a knife to cut everyone a slice. After doing so she sat down and got ready to begin eating, but stopped when Pinako kicked her under the table. She narrowed her eyes at her granny who shook her head and looked at the Prince. Winry looked to see the Prince meticulously folding a handkerchief onto his lap.

'We really have to wait for him to start eating first, in our own home!'

When he was apparently satisfied with the folding of the handkerchief he picked up a fork and knife and slowly cut himself a piece of the pie.

As if he was dragging this out for as long as he wanted, the Prince slowly lifted the piece into his mouth and began to slowly chew, before swallowing.

"Delicious" The Prince smirked after a moment.

Winry and Pinako instantly began eating.

"So...your grace?" Pinako said uncertainly after a while. "What brings you back to our smithy, if you don't mind me asking."

"Actually, I came so I could properly thank Miss Winry." Those black eyes once again drifted towards her.

"Your Grace is very kind" Winry could hear the tension in Pinako's voice. "But we found the bag of gold to be thanks plenty for a simple latch replacement."

"Nonsense" The Prince smiled, "It was much more important than a simple latch replacement."

Pinako and Winry shared a confused glance before the Prince began to direct the conversation to Winry.

"Now Miss Winry, I couldn't help but notice the way you spoke to me at the carriage."

"How so?" Winry asked bluntly causing Pinako to wince.

"There it is!" The Prince pointed at her suddenly with a grin. "When you're talking to royalty it's common sense to end every sentence with 'your Grace', but I don't recall you ever saying that."

"Uumm" Winry looked nervously over at Pinako, who shrugged helplessly. "I guess I forgot." She looked uncertainty back at the Prince.

The Prince stared at her with a emotionless expression before laughing. Waving his hand in a dismissive fashion, he spoke, "Have no fears my lady. I simply found the oversight to be amusing."

Pinako let out a sigh of relief and Winry relaxed some.

The Prince began speaking again, "I'm curious, is it just you ladies running this smithy?"

"Yes your Grace." Pinako spook up. "I started it with my husband about forty years ago, since then he has..moved on."

"Amazing" The Prince looked between the two women. "That two women could successfully run a blacksmith shop, all by themselves."

"The world is full of surprises...your Grace." Winry spoke up for the first time. The Prince nodded in approval.

"Your Grace?" Winry asked. The Prince nodded with a new gleam in his eyes. "When you said that my work was more important to you then a simple latch replacement, what do you mean?"

The look in his eyes unsettled her as his grin widened. "I had an idea that upon further scrutiny evolved into a marvelous concept."

Winry again looked at Pinako in confusion and was startled when the Prince suddenly stood up. She looked at the table and saw that he had finished his pie.

"My thanks for the meal and the pleasure of your company. I'm afraid I'll have to be going." He walked over to Winry and once again kissed her hand. "Take care Miss Winry."

And with that he turned and walked out of the house without even looking at Pinako.

The two Rockbell women sat in silence before Pinako stood up to clean the plates. Winry sat there still contemplating the Prince's words.

'What the hell was that?'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry was all alone. For the first time in nine months she had the whole house to herself. Pinako was gone to a village named Rush Valley, she had an old friend named Dominic who was dying. It was almost releasing, just being by yourself without having anyone hang over you. She had Den, but Den wasn't much for telling you what to do.

Winry frowned at this, recently she had begun to realize how strained things had actually become between the two of them. Just watching them you wouldn't have been able to notice but it was there below the surface. Pinako's frustration with Winry's unending depression and Winry's frustration with her constant worrying. She felt bad for having created this tension. When Pinako returned Winry decided to smooth things out, she loved her grandmother too much to let this get between them. Having a couple of days of solitude can be a good thing, it helps you with your thoughts.

Winry looked up when she suddenly heard a knocking on the front door. 'Who could that be?'

Winry opened the door and her eyes widened at the person standing outside of her home.

Prince Selim smiled pleasantly at her, "May I come in?"

"Your Grace…"

"I'm afraid I have to somewhat insist on coming in" The Prince shrugged bashfully.

Winry didn't move for a moment before she stepped back to let him in. He wasn't dressed as extravagantly as he was the first time she saw him and the coat he was wearing was not as rich as the one he wore when he invited himself to dinner. She stared at him in confusion as he walked past her into her house.

"You not one for interior decoration are you?" The Prince joked as he clasped his hands behind his back as he examined his surroundings. Winry frowned at this. What was he doing?

"Your Grace," She hissed, "With all due respect, what are-"

"Am I doing in your home?" The Prince turned around to face her. "To see you of course."

Winry furrowed her forehead in confusion. The Prince took this time to start talking again. "You see Winry, my father is getting old. There is only so much longer that the old goat can keep breathing. On that 'tragic day' I will inherit my birthright as King of Amestris."

Winry listened suspiciously, trying to figure out why the Prince was here.

"And a king" The Prince continued, "Needs a queen. Someone to stand by his side, support him when he needs it, and provide him with heirs. I'm sure you know how it works?"

Winry nodded slowly.

"Now picking the right woman to be your queen is very important. The marriage itself has to have political benefits and contribute to the strength of the realm. You usually can't choose a bride as the reigning rulers use the marriage for an alliance. But...I'm graced with the ability to choose my bride."

Winry didn't like where this was going.

"My father doesn't remember my name half the time so he is in no position to negotiate a marriage. So the responsibility has been left in my hands. Now back to the point of this visit. When you fixed my carriage I developed the idea of asking a commoner for her hand in marriage. My closest advisor King Bradley, the charming man with the eyepatch, supports this idea. It would rally the people under my new reign. But then I was faced with the task of finding a commoner worth marrying. I know I wanted a woman of striking beauty and a personality that people would admire and idolize. Then I remembered you. I remembered your striking beauty and how you carried yourself. You disrespected me and my authority without batting an eye and I find that intriguing."

Winry was staring at the Prince with wide eyes. Could he honestly be thinking about what she thought he was?

"You're an intriguing girl Winry Rockbell" The Prince made himself comfortable on a chair. "One that could certainly survive all the turbulent day to day happenings of court."

Winry was speechless. Was she really being proposed to by the Prince of Amestris. What do you even say to that? She thought of all the benefits that being queen would bring. They seemed innumerable, she'd never have to worry about providing for her grandmother and herself ever again. She'd have anything she wanted and more. Why shouldn't she accept the Prince's offer, how could the life she's currently living possibly be better. But then a single face appeared in her mind, a face that outshined any of the positives that she had thought of. And she also remembered a promise.

Ed.

Winry looked at the Prince. He was waiting patiently in the chair, giving her time to mull over the question.

"Your Grace-" She began

"Selim, please" The Prince smiled.

"Your Grace" She repeated. "I'm honored by your offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn it down."

The Prince raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I...just, I just can't. I would like to accept your offer, but I just can't." It was a pathetic excuse, she knew. But how could she explain all of that to the Prince.

The Prince hardly batted an eye, but he did lean forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "That's hardly an excuse for refusing a prince."

"I know, I'm sorry. That's all I can say." Winry said honestly.

The Prince smiled, but not his pleasant smile, the one he was wearing right now was more devious and it made her skin crawl.

"I figured you'd say that. Well don't say I didn't ask nicely." His whole demeanor had changed, his black eyes now shown a sick glee that unnerved her.

"Your Grace?"

"Selim" He said, standing up.

"Your Highness!" Winry took a step back in alarm.

"Selim" He repeated, he was advancing on her like a predator would its prey. She kept walking back until her back hit the wall. She looked up at him nervously, he grinned evilly down at her. He was taller than her, standing around 5'10.

"When I got this idea, I only really had you in mind. You're perfect." His eyes quickly roamed over her body. "Now I've never been one to be turned down by a lower then dirt bitch, and I don't plan on being one now."

Anger flared in Winry. "So what are you going to do? Force me to marry you? I'll never do it."

Selim chuckled, "I knew you wouldn't, stubborn little minx." He stroked Winry's cheek, she slapped his hand away. He grabbed her jaw roughly, forcing her to look at him. "You will do it." He squeezed her jaw tighter making her wince. "And do you know why?" She glared at him angrily. "Your dear grandmother will die if you don't." Winry froze, eyes widening. "You'll do everything I tell you to do and I won't skin the flesh off her wrinkled decrepit body."

He pushed her away, slamming her into the wall with a cry. She slid to the floor and looked back up at him with a pale face.

He grinned and licked his lips. "You're mine."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

She didn't even get to say goodbye. After his declaration Selim had stepped out of the house without a second glance towards her. Before Winry knew it two big soldiers were pushing her out of her home and towards a carriage. Selim was waiting by the door, holding it open. Winry tried struggling, but she might as well have tried talking her way out of the situation. The guards threw her in and Selim stepped in after her, closing the door behind. Winry jolted up in a frenzy, looking for a way out. Selim had seated himself across from her with one of his guards once again sporting what could be called a pleasant smile, but Winry knew better.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded.

"Why..I'm taking you to your new home darling. Where we are going to have a long and happy life together." Selim could hardly keep the enjoyment out of his voice.

"Like hell" Winry snarled, then made a move for the door. She grabbed the handle and pushed, but it didn't budge. Selim chuckled as she struggled against the door. "You have a lot of fire in you. I like it."

The guard grabbed her and threw her back into her seat. Winry sat up, glaring at Selim.

"I think now is a good time as any to lay down some house rules. Ok?"

Winry continued to glare, 'I'm not going to give into this bastard'

"Well for starters, you shall not disobey me in any way. I believe I made the consequences clear. Any questions?

Winry remained silent.

"Good." Selim continued. "Once we arrive at the palace, you will not be allowed to leave unless accompanied by a bodyguard. I assure you it's for your protection. Also there will be no communication with the outside world."

That one caused Winry's breath to catch in her throat. "But what about my Grandmother?" She demanded.

Selim shook his head, "We can't have word spread of any bumps in the road that our marriage may encounter."

Winry lunged forward, hands outstretched. For what she didn't know, all she wanted was to cause Selim as much pain as possible or at least wipe that smug grin off his face. The guard caught her halfway and roughly shoved her back into the seat, although she did notice that Selim flinched slightly.

"Oh thanks for reminding me. If you assault me you will be punished. Punishments will vary, depending on what mood I'm in." Selim grinned suggestively.

Winry kept her face neutral, not letting any emotion show on her face. Inside the fight was leaving her and being replaced by dread.

Winry looked away, unable to keep looking at the monster in front of her. Instead she looked out the window, watching the fields of Resembool pass, knowing she might never see them ever again.

"Why?" She whispered. "Why are you doing this?"

Selim paused, thinking over her question. "Because you fixed my carriage."

Winry felt like crying. In the matter of minutes her whole life had been taken away from her and now the Prince was bringing her home with him as a possession. Worse, she wasn't going to be able to see Pinako. What would she think? Coming home and finding her gone. But she had to do what Selim said, Granny was all she had left. She lost Ed, her one true love, and she was going to be damned if she was going to let her grandmother get murdered by this psychotic brat. Even if she couldn't see Pinako, just knowing she's alright is better than nothing.

"Can I ask for one thing please?" Winry whispered.

"Depends" Selim answered as he eyed her like some prized jewel.

"Can you please make sure my Grandmother is ok without me. I'll stay with you, just please make sure my grandmother is looked after." She hated begging, especially to him, but she had to keep Pinako safe.

"Fair enough." Selim nodded.

"Thank you" Winry grumbled, thanking him was even worse. The tears continued to threaten, but she held them back. She wasn't going to cry, not in front of him.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

If the situation hadn't been so terrible, Winry would have been amazed by the royal castle. It was called Central because it was the governmental center of the country. It looked incredible, with tall walls and cascading towers. The gateway was as extravagant as to be expected. Winry had never been one for architecture, but she had to admit it was impressive.

The ride in had mostly been silent. Winry had looked at the city surrounding her new 'home'. It was pleasant enough she supposed, she had noticed a substantial amount of poverty. Selim had spoken up at this.

"The capital does collect a large amount of vagrants. King knows how to deal with them though. About a month ago, this one band of rabble had congregated around the square, look we're passing it right now!" Selim suddenly pointed out the window at the city's' square. In the middle there was a cage suspended above the ground. In it, Winry had to squint to see it, was a a body. It looked bare and rotten, with several birds eating bits of flesh off it.

Winry fought back the urge to throw up as she looked away from the horrible sight.

"King took the youngest and strongest of them and put him in that cage. It took about four days for him to stop screaming. Anyone who gave him food or water was personally flogged by King. The ones you see outside are either the brave or the stupid ones. The rest have all fled to Thieves Forest, appropriately named." Selim informed her.

Winry's face paled in horror. These were the people that she was trapped with and this was the man who was forcing her to marry him.

The inside of the castle was as beautiful as the outside. Selim had thankfully left her upon entering, but unfortunately, it was King Bradley who was the one to escort her to her room. After what she had just learned about the man, being in his presence was not going to be the highlight of this day.

He walked with a disciplined, restrained manner; hardly glancing down at her. Despite her trepidation of being in his presence, Winry knew that this place was going to be her home for a long time so she might as well find out what she could.

"So what exactly do you do for the Prince." Winry asked, sounding braver than she actually felt.

"I perform tasks that my Prince asks of me as well as performing my own to maintain order in the capital." He said simply.

"Does that include leaving people in cages to die?" Winry glared up at him.

His one eye looked down at her. His mouth formed a humorless smile. "When necessary."

They stopped at what she supposed was her room. As Winry moved to enter through the door a hand from Bradley stopped her. She looked up and his face was as emotionless as stone. "For your Grandmother's sake, I'd follow the Prince's instructions. Any step out of line or act of defiance and I will personally cut her down myself." Winry gasped and looked down at the sword at his side, he meant it.

After saying this he walked off down the stone hallway. Winry pushed open her nicely carved wooden door and looked over her new room. The room was probably bigger then her house. There was a big lush bed, several cushioned chairs, a few tables with various items such as a chess board and wine glasses. There was a section of the room that was a step lower the. The part with the bed. This area was covered by a luxurious carpet and lead out into a balcony.

"Home sweet home" Winry mumbled to herself. She was alone, so she didn't feel the need to hold back her emotions anymore. Only a few tears escaped before she heard a timid voice behind her:

"Hello ma'am" Winry turned around to see a small foreign girl smiling shyly at her.

"Uh..hi" Winry responded, wiping her tears away.

"I am your hand maid, May Chang, your Grace." The girl bowed with a happy grin on her face.

"Grace?" Winry winced.

"Yes ma'am, you are marrying a Prince after all. I guess that makes you a princess."

'Princess' Winry thought. 'Ed called me princess, I'm not a princess.'

"No" Winry snapped. "Don't call me princess."

"Oh" The girl gasped "I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's fine" Winry sighed. "My name's Winry, call me Winry."

"Ok" The girl smiled "You can call me May."

"Hi May" Winry smiled weakly, it would be nice to have one friend in this hell hole.

"Well…Winry, I was informed before coming here that I was to assist you with preparing for dinner."

"Dinner?" Winry whispered out.

"The Prince has requested that you join him for dinner in an hour."

Winry shuddered, how much of him was she going to see today?

May took notice to Winry's discomfort but decided it wasn't her place to question. She took out an elegant dress and laid it out on the bed. Winry looked down on it with wide eyes.

"Is that mine?"

"Yes, ma'a-Winry! There are many more like it."

The dress turned out to be harder to put on then it looked so May had to assist Winry. Embarrassed by her inability to put on a dress, Winry decided to strike up a conversation.

"So are you from Amestris?" She asked, hoping May wouldn't be offended.

"No, Winry, I am from Xing."

"Where is that exactly?"

"It's across the desert, the only two ways to get from Xing to Amestris is either by traveling through the desert or by ship."

"What means did you use?" Winry asked curiously.

"The desert."

"Wow, that must not have been easy."

"It wasn't but I made it." May smiled.

Eventually it was time for dinner, and May helped steady Winry as she struggled down the stone hallway in high heels. Cursing the ridiculous shoes she had to wear, the dress went down to the ground and became rather puffy around the hips. It was a rich silk that flowed around her. But, Winry hated the amount of cleavage that the dress showed off.

'I wonder who picked this dress.' She thought sarcastically.

When Winry entered the great hall the first thing she saw was an enormous table. Sitting at the head of the table was a very old man that she assumed to be the king and too his right was Selim. Selim smiled when he saw her and moved to greet her. He dismissed May and took Winry's arm in his, staring unashamedly at her chest.

"Father, I would like to introduce to you my future bride, Princess Winry Rockbell."

'Princess' Winry seethed.

The King looked up at her and gave a toothless smile, after a long moment he weakly spoke. "Hello my dear, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Hello" Winry said uncertainly. What is the father like if he has a son like this?

"Isn't she beautiful father?" Selim asked as he continued to stare at her chest, causing her skin to crawl.

"Yes...yes she is." The King said happily. "Tell me my dear, how do you like the castle."

"I think it's beautiful." Winry said honestly as she sat down in her chair which was at the King's left. Selim sat across from her at the King's right.

"I remember when a fire once broke out about 20 years ago. Burnt down nearly half the castle. I always thought that the new parts were better than the old." The old man said.

"How fascinating Father" Selim said dryly.

"Now, do you have a date for the wedding?" The King spoke slowly.

Winry flinched, she hadn't thought about when she actually had to marry Selim. She prayed that it wasn't soon.

"I've talked with Bradley and we have both agreed that in order for this marriage to have the impact that it deserves, that we should wed on the country's anniversary." Selim spoke, barely paying attention to his father.

"Oh..joyous" The King stumbled happily with his words. "I always liked a good wedding."

The rest of the dinner was like this. Winry noticed that Selim was very reserved and courteous when around his father. 'He must put on a mask when he's with important people'. Either way Winry decided to spend as much of her future time around the King as possible. He was a kind and sweet old man and if Selim acted nicer when around him then even better. Eventually the wave after wave of food courses ended and the King retired to his chambers. After the King left Selim stood up and came around the table to her. Winry stood up so they were standing inches away from each other with her glaring at him. With an amused smile on his face he placed a hand on the small of her back and led her out of the hall.

"You look tired, my dear" He said, "It has been a long day for you hasn't it?"

Winry said nothing as they walked towards her room. As they walked Winry began to feel a new sense of dread. Selim had not tried to hide his obvious lust for her and since they were going to be married he would no doubt force her to give into his sexual demands. This, accompanied by the fact that they were right now going to her room, made Winry start to panic. Her heart was thumping in her chest and sweat formed as she dreaded what the Prince had in store for her.

When they reached her room Selim stopped them outside. He must have seen fear in his face because his smirk widened and he spoke, "Oh I see you must be looking forward to us enjoying the bonds of marriage, but my family follows the tradition of consummating the marriage on the wedding night. You are a virgin right? It wouldn't surprise me if you weren't. But even though our special night is a good while away we can still show our affection for each other."

Winry didn't know if her relief outweighed her disgust.

Selim suddenly leaned forward pressing his lips against Winry's in a quick kiss. Winry flinched and stepped backwards in disgust. Selim smirked, "I believe a loving kiss between two people is a wonderful way to end the day. See you tomorrow my beloved." And with that he began walking down the hall. As Winry turned to her door she heard him call out. "Oh just to remind you, don't even think about escaping or killing yourself. Because if you do I will have Bradley personally skin your dear old grandma alive...Goodnight my dear." He finished before turning the corner.

Winry rushed through her door slamming it behind her. She threw herself on the bed as sobs began tearing through her body. Winry couldn't help herself, it was all too much. In only a few hours her life had turned into a complete nightmare. She had been taken from her home and was being forced to marry a monster. The very thought of him touching her filled Winry with disgust. He would undoubtedly force himself on her during their wedding night. "Oh God!" She gasped between sobs, her tears staining the bed. "What did I do to deserve this?" The tears kept coming with no end in sight.

May had been troubled by Winry's earlier reaction all night and despite her better judgement had decided to venture to the Princess's chamber, just to see if she was ok. When she came close to the door she heard the sound of Winry sobbing. Concerned she inched open the door and peered inside. The Princess was sprawled out on the bed sobbing. Moving quickly May was on the bed next to Winry, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"My lady?..Winry?"

Winry looked up at May with tearful eyes and without thinking threw her arms around the Xingese girl. As the tears spilled out so did her story. May sat in shock as Winry explained everything from fixing Selim's carriage to being kidnapped by him. May was speechless when Winry was finally finished.

"I-I-I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"I don't know what to do? Winry whimpered into May's shoulder.

"Neither do I" May whispered "The Prince he's...he's…"

"A monster" Winry finished.

May's heart broke for the poor young woman in front of her. She had served at the castle for almost 3 years and never thought the bratty prince would be capable of such cruelty. Biting back her own fear of Selim and his guard dog Bradley, May resolved to help Winry in any way she could.

"Winry...if you need a friend I'm here. I'll be here for you."

"Thank you" Winry whispered.

"Come on" May coaxed Winry into sitting up "Let's get you out of this dress, it wouldn't make for a comfortable sleep."

After changing Winry into a beautiful sleeping gown, May helped her into the bed. "Now matter what happens, I'll be here for you. Ok"

"Ok" Winry gave May's hand a squeeze, which she returned.

'Tomorrow begins the first day of the rest of my life.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **I based this Selim off of Joffrey from Game of Thrones. I both love and hate writing for him. Poor Winry, things aren't going to get much better for her. I wanted to make a Princess Bride AU but I also wanted to add my own twists to it. The Princess Bride story is going to start next chapter, which I should put up soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I want to give a shout out to BakaFangirl who created that amazing cover photo for this story.**

 **I can never stop telling you how thankful I am, so I might as well say it again. Thank you!**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

It was his fault. It was all Selim's fault. Not only for Winry's current living conditions but for something else: Ed's death. It had been a few days into Winry's stay at the castle when she first started to blame Selim for all her pain and misery. And she was justified in doing so, at least in her own mind, when memories of her brief yet loving romance came to her.

'He's the one who raised the damn taxes. He raised them for no reason, something about preparing for a war that never even happened. If he had never raised those taxes then Edward would never have had to leave. If it wasn't for the economic hardships that he forced on us, Ed would have stayed home with me where he would have been safe.' These thoughts always swirled around her mind every time she saw Selim, which regrettably happened every day.

Everyday she would eat breakfast and dinner with Selim and his father. Lunch was a wild card as Selim would usually be busy and Winry herself would be occupied. May had been telling the truth when she said that she would be there for her. At night after Winry was supposed to retire the two of them would usually stay up and talk. Their talks weren't always about the bad things that happened to Winry, May talked about Xing and its many differences in comparison to Amestris.

"Do you ever consider going back?" Winry asked once.

"No" May shook her head. "My clan fell out of power so there would be nothing that I could go back too."

"What exactly are clans?" Winry asked.

"Well." May said, "Each clan controls a different region of the empire and the leaders of each clan is an offspring of the emperor."

"How many clans are there?" Winry asked.

"Well, when last I checked there were 257." May grinned.

"He has 257 kids!" Winry said incredulously.

"And counting." May chuckled.

"Wow...poor Empress?" Winry laughed.

"Well actually the emperor has many many wives and concubines to bear his children." May informed her.

"I kind wish it was like that here." Winry said, "Maybe then I could have a day without Selim."

Winry even told May about Ed. How they meet; how they fell in love; and the eventual tragic ending. May cried at the end of the story and said that the pirate Greed had been the reason that she hadn't come to Amestris by sea.

May would tell Winry some of the legends about Greed. Selim had caused Ed's death but Greed was still the one who ultimately killed him. Winry wanted to find out everything she could about him.

"They say he's Xingese. At least that's what people use to say. Now the stories say he is an Amestrian who was born in Xing and speaks in a Xingese accent. People say he has limbs made out of metal. Apparently he dresses in all black and has eyes grayer than a gravestone." May told her one day as she braided Winry's hair.

"Chilling." Winry drawled,then turned to look at her friend. "But I thought he didn't leave any survivors?"

"He doesn't." May replied.

"Then where do the stories come from?"

"...I don't know." May said perplexed.

"I don't know who I hate more. Him or the prince." Winry said miserably, looking down at her lap.

On an average day Winry found that she had many things that could keep her occupied. Just walking around the elegant hallways of the castle was engaging, if she pretended that this place wasn't her prison. There was a giant library in the northwest corner of the castle with more books than Winry could count. She had smiled smugly when Selim seemed surprised to learn that she could read, having thought she was illiterate. In the courtyards there were elaborate gardens with multi colored plants from around the world. Other times Winry would spend her days with the old King, walking with him in the courtyards or talking with him. He'd forgotten her name eight times in the few weeks she had been at the castle, but he was very sweet and Winry couldn't believe that he had a son as horrible as Selim.

The other occupants of castle treated her in different ways. The servants were polite to her, but it was their job to be so. The nobles and other officials, who seemed to live in the walls, were for the most part complete suck ups. There were a few nice ones but most looked down on her for being a commoner. Not that they did this openly, but she could tell from their glances and their whispered voices. They only acted nice to her because she was their future queen and they hoped to gain favor with her. They could all go to hell for all she cared. Whenever it looked like there was some rich snob looking down at her, Winry made it a point to stare back defiantly. She already had to take crap from Selim, she wasn't going to take it from everyone else in this damn place.

While she could handle herself around the nobles, she was terrified of Bradley. He was always so cold and calculating. His grey eye always seemed to look right into her soul. Apart from being Selim's right hand man, he was also the dungeon master and interrogator. Sometimes at night she swore she could hear the faint screams of prisoners coming from the dungeon. These kept her up at night. Other people in the castle included the captain of the guard, Raven, who just seemed like a fool that always took orders from Bradley.

She had an endless supply of dresses. Each one a different color and with different designs. Her favorite was a thin strapped blue dress that matched the color of her eyes. She wore it almost every day because it was the most similar to the old dresses that she used to wear at her home.

'Ed would have loved this dress.' She thought sadly to herself one day.

To her delight Winry was able to leave the castle, but as Selim had said, she had to have a "bodyguard" with her.

'More of a prison guard then a bodyguard.' Winry thought bitterly to herself. Despite that the man assigned to watch over her wasn't that bad. He was courteous to her and did seem genuinely invested in her protection. He was a huge man, with tan skin and red eyes. She hadn't figured out his name but he had a rather large X shaped scar on his forehead. She thought it made him look cool, so her nickname for him was "Scar".

One day when she was walking through the gardens and a drunk servant came stumbling out of the bushes. He was drunkenly swinging a goblet around and came stumbling towards her. Before she could react her bodyguard was in front of her holding the drunk man by his throat. With a single flick of his wrist he had the man flying through the air and back into the bushes. Turning around to her; he bowed his head and held his arm out for her to pass. Winry smiled and continued walking. Since then Scar became one of the few people that she liked in this castle.

When she was tired of the gardens, Winry was able to ride in the royal carriage around the city and see normal people. Unfortunately this was the same carriage that goer her into this mess to begin with, but she wasn't one top hold a grudge against an inanimate object. Seeing people that had to work for a living reminded her of home and was a relief from the overbearing superiority of those who lived in the castle. People would stare at the carriage as it passed and Winry could hear their whispered voices coming from outside. Winry supposed word of her must have spread and people would no doubt want to see their next queen.

"What will it mean when I'm queen?' Winry thought. 'Am I going to have any authority or am I just going to be Selim's glorified sex toy.' She shivered with disgust.

Ever since the first night, Selim had made her give him a daily kiss goodnight. This disgusting ritual was her least favorite part of the day. It was the time when his lips would press against her stiff ones. His kisses had been getting longer with each night and his hands would linger for longer moments. Last night after breaking the kiss, he lingered to sniff her hair. It took all of Winry's self control to not lash out and hit him. With each each kiss getting longer and his hands starting to travel, it was like he was building up to their wedding night; getting closer and closer to taking exactly what he wanted.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

While Winry had taken a few rides in the royal carriage she had yet to be officially introduced to the people. Today that was going to change. Right now Selim was standing on a decorated balcony with the King and Bradley at his right and left. The balcony faced the entire square which was filled to the brim with people.

'Who knew one day that hundreds of people from all around the country would congregate to one place to see me.' Winry thought as she waited for her cue to walk into view. She was going to be among the people, walking down a long carpet that came to a stop halfway through the square and was protected on both sides by guards. May stood next to her, holding her hand supportively. Behind both of them was Scar who'd follow her out.

Selim was speaking. "My people, one month from now our country will have its 500 hundredth anniversary. On that sundown I shall marry a lady who was once a commoner like yourselves. Perhaps you will not find her common now...would you like to meet her?"

The crowd cheered.

"Just hold your head high, smile, and walk straight" May whispered in her ear "You'll do fine."

"My people" Winry could hear the smug smile in Selim's voice. "The Princess...Winry."

Trumpets blared as Winry's heart jumped up in her throat. May gave her hand a squeeze and a gentle push to get her moving. Winry walked forward as her long dress dragged behind her. Her hair was braided and nails painted. She felt like a doll. As she stepped out of the grand arch that led into the square she looked around. There were hundreds maybe thousands of people in the square and they were all looking at her. Taking a deep breath Winry marched forward. As she passed them, people dropped to one knee in a respectful bow. Winry forced a pleasant smile on her face as her gaze traveled from one person to another. Some people looked at her with an indifferent expression, while others looked on in awe. Winry supposed it was because of her sudden rise in society. She also saw some smiles and some waves. Her eyes lingered on a tall woman with black hair and a white sleeveless outfit standing next to a much larger man. The woman was giving her a scrutinous look that eventually turned into a small smile and a nod. Winry returned the nod and looked at the other side of the carpet. She saw pretty much the exact same things on this side. At one point her gaze landed on a tall figure in a black coat. This one almost made her falter in her step. Even though she couldn't see the figure's face, as he was wearing a hood, she could feel his eyes on her. It felt like he was glaring right at her, but she couldn't possibly think why. Winry turned away and kept walking, eventually curiosity got the better of her and she turned back to look at the figure, but he was gone.

Finally, Winry made it to the center of the square. 'Just a few days ago a man who was left to die slowly was hanging in this spot. Am I any better off?'. At this point everyone in the square had bowed, then they all broke out in applause. As they applauded Winry looked up at the high balcony where Selim was standing. He was looking down at her with that smile that made her skin crawl.

'My betrothed.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

After the big presentation in the square there was a feast in the great hall. Winry had to sit next to Selim, who spent the majority of the meal with a hand on her thigh. Winry spent most of the meal quiet and only talked when someone spoke to her. Mostly people asked her about her 'common' upbringing and how it compared to her new 'luxurious' lifestyle. Winry answered as honestly as she could, but every time she began to venture into territory that Selim didn't like he'd give her a painful squeeze with his hand. Her breath had hitched whenever he did this, causing some people to give her weird look. When dinner was finally finished and Winry was back in her room with May she hiked up her dress to look at her leg. She winced when she saw several ugly bruises littered across her thigh.

May looked over her shoulder and gasped. "Are those…?"

"Yes" Winry answered "Those were him."

May put a hand on Winry's shoulder before beginning to untie the strings that held her dress together. When Winry was dressed in a silk nightgown and ready to go to bed, she was startled by a knock on her door. Turning around her stomach turned when she saw Selim leaning against the door. He smiled, "Well it looks like I caught you right in the nick of time, right?"

Winry and May didn't answer as they anxiously waited for the Prince to talk again.

"You may go, Chang, I think your work is done for the night." His gaze never left Winry's.

"Actually your Grace I-" May began.

"Leave!" Selim barked, now looking at May.

May shrank back, then shot Winry a sympathetic look before quickly moving past Selim.

Selim pushed off from the door and began to slowly stroll over to her.

"You did very well today, with the square and the feast. I told you that you could survive this place."

"Thank you" Winry mumbled, eyes downcast.

"You looked very...ravishing in that dress" His eyes had that predatory look again.

Winry gulped, "T-thank you."

Selim came to a stop right in front of her, looking her up and down. Winry suddenly felt very vulnerable being in a room alone with Selim wearing nothing but a thin nightgown. She flinched when she felt Selim's hand cup her cheek. He lifted her face so that she was looking at him, his dead black eyes pouring into her azure ones. Ed had looked at her like that many times before. But when he had done it, he made her feel warm and safe, when Selim did it he filled her with nothing but disgust.

"Selim what ar-"

Winry's question was cut short by Selim crashing his lips against her's. Winry gave a muffled gag as she felt him force his tongue into her mouth. Winry frantically pushed against his shoulders to get free, but Selim grabbed her arms and roughly held her in place. His kiss was bruising as his slimy tongue wormed its way around her mouth, mapping out every inch that he could reach. Winry was too afraid to try biting him so she settled with kicking him. Eventually Selim broke the kiss and released her. Winry tripped over herself trying to get away from him and ended up in a heap on the floor. She scurried back a few feet until she was leaning against the bed from the ground, clutching the fabric with wide eyes, breathing raggedly.

"Hmmm" Selim placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "You taste like cherries, interesting." He licked his lips as if to savor her flavor.

With that, he turned and left.

Winry stared at the door long after he'd left, before letting out an angry shriek. She rushed over to a bowl of water and began washing her mouth, trying to expel his disgusting taste from her mouth. It took every ounce of her strength to not vomit. Standing up she grabbed a chalice on a side table and flung it against the wall, shattering it. She grabbed handfuls of her hair as she paced back and forward.

'Why? WHY?' She thought. 'Why am I letting myself be this weak? Why am I letting him do all of these things to me?'

'You know why.' A voice in her head said. 'It's to keep Granny safe.'

Granny.

Winry missed her so much it killed her. What was Pinako going to think when she heard that Winry was the new princess. Did she already know? Selim promised that she would be well looked after, but could she really trust Selim? All he had ever done was terrify and humiliate her. A few weeks before, Winry had asked May if she could deliver a letter to Pinako. Unfortunately May told her that servants were not allowed to leave the capital unless they had permission. The last servant who was caught leaving had their thumb removed by Bradley.

"Seems like we're all being held captive here." Winry had said to May.

Crawling into bed Winry wrapped herself in the soft blankets and waited for sleep to eventually take her, wondering if there was ever going to be an end to her hell.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

In the next few weeks leading up the wedding it seemed like Selim wanted to show Winry off as much as possible. When ever he made a public appearance she had to be smiling at his side. At every appearance she had to hang onto his arm, wave to the crowd, and accept flowers from children (The last part wasn't that bad). At feasts Winry always sat next to him, which gave her a few more bruises on her thigh. The nightly kisses kept getting worse, Selim's tongue always forced its way into her mouth one way or another. Every time she had to stop herself from biting him. She just closed her eyes and waited for it to be over. Now that she was publicly his betrothed, he seemed to think he had an excuse to be more 'intimate' with her in private.

A new privilege that Winry discovered that she had now was the ability to ride a horse instead of a carriage. She could ride her horse around the city and the woods surrounding it. She was so thrilled about this that she almost considered thanking Selim.

Almost.

The one place she couldn't go was any of the lands near Resembool and she had to be accompanied by Scar.

For the first few rides, Winry had rode up and down the hills and valleys that were next to the city. They reminded her of the fields of Resembool, and if she closed her eyes, it was like she was back home. This was how she spent most of her days for the next two or three weeks. Being out in the fresh air was a pleasant escape from all of her problems. Every time she left the castle and came back she always looked curiously towards the city. She found herself wanting to explore it and see what it really looked like. So on one day as she and Scar rode over the bridge that led from the castle to the fields she turned towards her companion, "Lets go to the city instead." She steered her horse towards the city. He looked at her, then the city, then nodded. Smiling Winry kicked off in that direction. He wasn't a very talkative person, hell, he was more emotionless then Bradley. But unlike Bradley Scar didn't scare her, he just wasn't much for conversations.

The city seemed to be split into two sections, a wealthy section and a poor section. Winry opted to go see the poor section, Scar simply nodded and fell in behind her. But she noticed he seemed to tense a little.

The roads were dirty and full of filth. People walked in rags and children were begging in the street. Many people stopped what they were doing to stare at her as she passed. Most looked surprised to see her. She could hear Scar gripping his sword tighter as they passed, but for whatever reason she wasn't afraid. These people didn't look like they were going to hurt her. 'Either way' she looked back at Scar, 'He will keep me safe.'

As they rode down the street, Winry's attention was grabbed by the sound of shouting around the corner. Kicking ahead of Scar Winry took her horse around the corner to see what was causing the commotion. Around the corner there was a crowd of people circled around a confrontation between soldiers and some peasants. The first thing that Winry saw was that the soldiers weren't the royal blue ones that resided in the castle, these ones had brown outfits and looked more like thugs then upholders of the law. The second was that the people in the circle with the soldiers were actually children.

"My Princess, I suggest we turn around." Scar spoke as he rode up behind her.

"No" She said "I want to see this." She sat up higher in her saddle to get a better view.

The children were cowering away from the thugs, who had one of the children by the arm and was shaking him violently. The child was crying and looked to be in pain.

Narrowing her eyes, Winry jumped off the horse and began making her way towards crowd.

"Princess!" Scar called behind her, but Winry ignored him.

As she made her way to stand up for those children she was surprised to see someone had already beat her too it. A tall woman with a sleeveless white coat had stepped into the circle and separated the thug and the child. Winry stopped in amazement as the woman lifted the thug in the air with one hand and threw him to the ground. The thug clumsily struggled to his feet and drew his sword, holding it in front of him threateningly, his friends drew theirs as well.

Not wanting this to escalate any further, Winry ran forward and began pushing her way through the crowd. Not knowing exactly what she was doing, Winry broke through the crowd and entered the circle.

"STOP!"

All eyes turned to her as she stood there huffing from the exertion of running over here. The woman's eyes widened in recognition as did several of the thugs, but the one who had been thrown obviously didn't.

"What are you doing girl?" The thug sneered "This is official business."

"Basque!" A nervous soldier, who had dropped to his knees, said "Shut up!"

Basque didn't, apparently taking her red riding gown as a fancy prostitute's. "Go back to your gutter, whore, before I show you the boot of my heel."

"That's the princess you idiot!" His companion yelled behind him.

Basque paled, he turned to look at his companion "What?"

At this point Scar had pushed his way through the crowd, sword drawn. Seeing the other men with their swords out near Winry caused him to raise his own, ready to fight. Scar's presence caused the soldiers to cower back.

"Now" Winry said in a raised voice. "What's happening?"

"W-w-well, yo-your highness-." Basque sweated out.

"I wasn't talking to you." Winry snapped, then turned to the woman who was still guarding the children. "What happened?"

The woman stared at her in awe for a moment before speaking, "Well your Grace, I'm not entirely sure myself. From what I gather these 'brave men' saw it fit to relieve these hungry children of food."

Winry glanced at the ground and saw fruits and vegetables spewn all over the ground. With a raised eyebrow Winry glared at Basque.

Doing her best to sound authoritative she spoke, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"We were confiscating the food, your Grace." Basque said nervously.

"And why, may I ask were you confiscating the food?" Winry had moved so that she was standing between the soldiers and the children.

"The children stole them, your Grace." Basque glared up at her.

"Liar" Winry heard from the crowd.

"Greedy bastards." Came another.

She glared at Basque. "Look at your friends Basque. They certainly know how to show me respect. Follow their example." She referred to the other men who were on their knees and not looking at her.

Basque let out an angry sigh and got on his knee.

"That's not good enough." Winry tried not to smirk, "Lower."

Basque's glare intensified and he got down on both knees.

"Lower." After being tormented by Selim for the last couple of weeks, it felt good to put a bully in his place.

Basque lowered his face until it was barely an inch above the dirt. There were several chuckles from the crowd.

"Much better." Winry smiled.

Then she turned to the children and knelt down in front of them. "Hello" she smiled sweetly at them, "Now tell me the truth. Did you steal this food?"

"No ma'am" One of the children answered.

"We saved money for this. Our mommy is sick." Another one put out.

"It's ok, I believe you." Winry smiled. Standing up she turned back to the soldiers. "Leave these children alone and if I see you harassing innocent people ever again, I will have you thrown in the dungeon." Winry didn't think that she could actually do that but they believed her, because most of them turned and ran; leaving about two standing in shock and anger, Basque included. Turning to Scar she said, "I didn't care too much for that whore comment earlier, would you mind punching that prick in the face?" Scar raised an eyebrow but his face remained neutral. If he was surprised by her actions he didn't show it. He nodded and turned towards the two men, punching Basque so hard that he was flown off his feet, landing hard on the ground unconscious. His companion quickly grabbed Basque under the shoulders and dragged him away as the crowd laughed.

Winry smiled proudly and turned around and dropped to her knees. She heard gasps from the crowd as she began picking up the fruit and vegetables and handing them back to the children. The woman in white joined her and soon the children had all of their food back again. As the children and crowd began to disperse the woman in the white stood up and helped Winry to her feet. Scar remained close by, but sheathed his sword.

"That was very brave of you." Winry said. "Standing up for those children like that."

The woman waved her hand dismissively, "Oh that wasn't brave, that was stupid. What you did was brave."

Winry blushed at the compliment, "I just couldn't stand there and let those men hurt innocent children."

"Neither could I." The woman smiled, then she knelt on one knee head bowed. "My name is Izumi Curtis, your Grace."

"Please, you don't have to be all formal" Winry said, "I'm Winry."

"I know." Izumi said, standing up. "I was there at your first public appearance."

"Oh yeah." Winry said, "We made eye contact at one point I believe."

Izumi looked down and saw that Winry's dress was covered in dirt. "Your dress is dirty." she pointed.

"Oh that?" Winry looked down. "It's nothing, I literally have a hundred other dresses like this, why should I only use one of them?"

Izumi chuckled, "Either way I might as well repay you in some way." Izumi clapped her hands, then touched Winry's dress and all of the dirt fell off.

"Wow" Winry was awestruck, "How did you do that?"

"Trade secret." Izumi smirked.

"Your Grace." Winry heard Scar behind her, "It is getting rather late, we should head back to the castle."

"Well." Winry turned back to Izumi "I guess I have to go. Good bye"

"Good bye, your Grace." Izumi smiled.

With some help from Scar Winry climbed back onto her horse and began riding back to the castle.

'Well at least being princess isn't always horrible.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Selim watched as Scar helped Winry off of her horse. He was standing from a balcony observing them as Bradley joined him from behind.

"The Princess's little stunt is already the talk of the town." Bradley informed him. "My agents are reporting that the people are telling varying tales of how she protected a group of starving children from a band of fiendish thugs."

"The Princess of the people." Selim sneered as he watched her walk towards the castle. "She turned out to be a better candidate then I had hoped."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Dinner was the same as usual, Pretentious conversations and snobby mannerisms. Winry was starting to get better with dinner conversations. She was coming out with less and less bruises.

Selim once again was escorting her to her room. This time instead of stopping at the door he walked into the room. Winry took a deep breath before walking in behind him. As she entered her room, Selim was instantly on her, crashing his lips against her's. Winry flinched as she felt Selim's tongue against her lips, requesting entrance. She didn't. Selim became more persistent with his kissing and his wandering hands. One of his hands went from her shoulder and traveled down her back, giving her butt a hard pinch. Winry gasped in surprise and this was all Selim needed to slide his tongue in. Winry gagged, Selim seemed to be trying to stick his tongue all the way down her throat. She couldn't breathe! Her last strand of self restraint was snapped when she felt one of his hands groping her butt and the other her breast.

She bit him.

Selim's eyes widened in shock and pain as Winry bit down on his tongue, not hard enough to bite it off or anything, but enough to draw blood. Selim broke the kiss and pushed away from her and yelped when Winry slapped him hard across the face. Selim stumbled a bit before catching himself on a chair. Winry stared in shock as Selim looked at her full of rage and anger. He raised his hand as if to hit her back, but when Winry hardly flinched he stopped.

"It would be improper for a Prince to strike his Princess." He said, trying to sound calm. "But don't get too comfortable, I'll be right back."

With that he quickly moved past Winry and out the room, leaving Winry to contemplate what she had just done. She knew she was in deep shit at the moment, but she was tired of Selim pawing at her like a piece of meat. For what seemed like forever she waited for Selim to return and when it seemed like he wouldn't, the door opened revealing a grinning Selim.

"As I said, it is improper for a Prince to hit his Princess, but I found someone more proper."

Selim pushed the door open more allowing a grinning Basque to enter the room. Winry let out a nervous breath as her eyes darted between the two grinning men.

"Well Ser Grand." Selim said, "Did you care too much for that strike to the face earlier?"

"It was rather painful, your Grace." Basque touched a large swollen bruise that look up most of the left side of his face and obscured the vision in that eye.

"Well then as your Prince, I give you complete authority to strike the Princess."

Winry paled even more as Basque's grin widened and he advanced towards her. She backed up to get away from him and turned to run but was grabbed violently by her hair, keeping her in place.

"Leave her face." Selim said, sitting comfortably in a plush chair "I like her pretty."

Holding Winry by her hair Basque raised his fist and brought it down hard into Winry's stomach. Winry could barely cry out as all the air was pushed out of her and she fell to the ground. She lay gasping in pain and lack of oxygen when Basque grabbed her by the hair again and yanked her to her feet to administer another earth shattering punch. This one left her gasping desperately as she was thrown painfully to the ground. Basque kicked her in the shoulder causing her to roll onto her back. Winry felt tears forming at her eyes but she held them in. She heard laughter above and cracked hers eyes open and saw Basque grinning down at her. "And why may I ask are you crying princess?" He sneered.

"Here use this." Selim spoke handing Basque a riding crop. He wasn't even containing his glee at watching her suffering. The crop was wood and Basque turned it in his hand, inspecting it, before turning to Winry, his grin pure evil. Winry stared up in horror as he raised the hard stick, ready to strike her. Basque swung the crop down on her chest. Winry screamed in pain. Blow after blow rained on her as Basque continued to savagely strike her. Basque stayed away from her face but showed no mercy for the rest of her body as he started to laugh. Eventually the pain became too much and Winry couldn't keep silent.

"Stop! Please!" She sobbed from her fetal position in the ground.

"Hmm, I don't care much for your begging princess." Basque spoke sadistically as he began twirling the crop in his hand before hitting her again. Winry tried blocking the blows with her arms. Looking towards her huge bed she saw a sizable space under it. Moving quickly she crawled towards the opening; the blows raining down on her back. She made it to the bed and was halfway under it when she heard Selim laugh. "Where are you going?" He said. "Come back out you naughty girl. You haven't learned your lesson yet!" She felt Basque grab her ankles.

He pulled her out and kicked her onto her back again and resumed the beating. Eventually the blows stopped, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Selim grinning down at her.

"I think you've learned your lesson. Don't forget our wedding is in a little over two weeks from now. I'm sure by then, you'll have grown to love me."

Selim and Basque left leaving Winry alone.

Winry curled up into a ball, bruised and bloody. She felt the tears coming again but she held them back. Instead her earlier dinner came back up and she vomited all over the floor. May came in as she always seemed to do. Ready to help pick up the pieces after Selim broke her.

"Winry, I-"

"Don't May, just don't." Winry snapped.

May winced at the harsh remark, but nodded and helped Winry into bed. She turned to leave but stopped when she felt Winry holding her hand. May looked down to see Winry staring back up at her with tearful, apologetic eyes.

"I know" May whispered, "I know."

May left and came back with a bucket and a cloth. Quickly cleaning up the vomit she stood up to leave and saw that Winry was asleep.

'She doesn't deserve this. Why does the world have to be so cruel?'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Two days later, Winry winced as she lifted the saddle onto her horse. Her bruises were making it difficult to perform certain tasks. She was also pretty sure that some of her ribs were injured as well. Her arms, legs, chest, and back were covered in dark bruises. Winry didn't know the extent of her injuries because Selim refused to allow a doctor to inspect her. Anyway, she had decided to go ahead with riding today, lucky for her, her red riding gown covered up all marks. Usually Scar would insist on putting the saddle on her horse himself but he seemed to be running late today. Besides May and the King, Scar was the only other person whom she liked. He wasn't a joy to be around but he wasn't unpleasant. He seemed like to her and she was sure that he would protect her with his life. Winry knew he was only following orders but it was still nice to know that someone was looking out for her in this hellhole. Especially after what happened two days ago, she was now scared of all the soldiers except for Scar. She had thought about telling him about what happened with Selim and Basque but to be honest what could he do about it. Also she was scared of what would happen if Selim found out. She hadn't seen much of him since her 'punishment' and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could.

She turned around when she heard someone stumbling into the stable. Scar was hunched over as he gripped the wall in an attempt to keep himself upright.

"Are you ok?" Winry asked as she ran over to his side.

"I'm fine, princess." Scar fell into a fit of coughing. His face was sweaty and his dark skin pale.

Winry placed a hand on his forehead. He was burning up. "You have a fever." She took his large hand and placed in on his head, "See you're burning up."

"I'll be fine" Scar tried pushing off the wall. Winry pushed him back, which was no easy task.

"You can barely stand." Winry said. "Rest today, I can get another soldier to escort me."

Scar shook his head, "I wouldn't be comfortable with that, my lady."

"Well you'll be even less comfortable if you come out riding." Winry insisted, "Take a rest."

Later Winry was riding through the woods. Scar had eventually relented and now she had a substitute bodyguard. This guy wasn't as intimidating as Scar and he didn't seem very interested in her. He'd hardly looked at her since they started riding and seemed more interested in things happening far away.

'How does a man like Scar get sick so quickly? He seemed fine yesterday." Winry wondered, 'Perhaps it was something he ate?'

Eventually she came to a stop in the rode. In front of her were three men: a small one, a tall one, and a really, really big one. The small one had a pointed mustache, small squinty eyes, and a long face. The second man had a fancy sword at his side, with brown hair and brown eyes. The big man was huge, even bigger than Scar. He was bald with a single golden curl on the top of his head. He had a twirly mustache as well.

"A word my fair lady?" The small one asked. "We are but poor, lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby?"

"Actually there's a city a few miles down the road. But there's no village for a while." Winry answered, pointing behind her. Her guard rolled his eyes, not interested in hearing this.

"Good" The small man grinned. "Then nobody will be around to hear you scream."

Her guard looked up surprised before he was punched in the face by the huge man, knocking him out. Winry was frozen in shock and when she finally snapped out of it, the huge man squeezed her neck and her vision went black.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _The Princess...Winry_

He had been watching her for weeks, dying a little bit every day. Every time he saw her smile up on that high horse of her's; every time she hung on that smug bastard's arm, it was like a knife being twisted in his chest.

 _I'm going to wait for you_

'I should have known this would happen.'

 _No matter how long I have to wait. I'll do it for you._

'I'm sorry I overestimated you Winry. I truly am.'

Now he watched as they carried her onto their boat. Who they were and why they were doing this he didn't care. After some apparent bickering on the deck they kicked off and began to set sail.

The man watched as they floated away. His ship and crew were waiting for him, this was going to be his last day in Amestris before he left forever. He had come home only to find the woman he loved in another man's arms and no doubt in his bed. Standing up he looked at the departing ship and then to the open sea, his black coat blowing in the breeze.

'Let them have her. If she was so willing to marry a Prince then the consequences are on her.' The man thought venomously to himself while clenching his metal fist.

 _I love you. Never forget that. I love you._

'...she forgot about me…'

 _I love you Winry, I have for a long time._

' _...'_

 _And that's why I'm coming back._

..but I haven't forgotten about her.'

He pulled up the sail of his small raft. His black mask and grey contacts were in place. He didn't know where these men were going, but they were never going to get there.

"I'm coming Winry" Edward Elric said to himself, "I'm coming."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **FINALLY! I don't have to write for Selim for a while now and Ed's finally back. I didn't know if I was going to include Ed's automail and alchemy, but your reviews swayed me. Originally this and chapter 3 was going to be one chapter but it ended up being too long. I found it funny that when I rewatched the movie and realized that I haven't gotten 10 minutes of material written yet. Almost 30,000 words and I haven't gotten through the first 10 minutes of the movie. Anyway, I'm glad that people are ok with the differences from the movie, I want to make my own story out of this.**


	5. Chapter 5

**In a review I saw someone say that Ed could have dyed his hair with alchemy instead of wearing a black whig. I actually meant to write mask instead of whig. Thank you Miskee for mentioning it because I would have totally missed that mistake. Just to be clear, Ed is wearing a black mask which covers his hair. As for the part about Al...keep reading**.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

There was no one in sight. Alphonse's keen eyes scanned the surrounding forest. The plan depended on them having a window of at least several hours before anyone came chasing after them. He ran his hand over his smooth sword. The only possession of his father's that he still had. The rest had been lost to thieves or drinking. If anyone in this forest was to see them then Alphonse would probably have to use this sword to silence them. He hoped it wouldn't come to that but all three of them would die if he didn't.

A job's a job, that's at least how Alphonse choose to see it. You raid an inn and steal a valuable item from one of the guests, that's what happens. Some corrupt town official needs to disappear. Hopefully for the desperate townsfolk, they can pay. Alphonse would be willing to do almost any job that Yoki had for them, as long as it didn't cross the line for him. So as he watched Alex carefully placing the sleeping Princess in the boat it felt just like any other job. It wasn't like Alex had hurt her or anything; even for a man of his size it was easier to carry an unconscious hostage as opposed to a thrashing one. Although a feisty hostage should be the least of their worries. Ransoming royalty was a risky, yet if done right, profitable business.

Alphonse hopped off the trunk he was using for a lookout post.

'Well step one was easy.' He ran a hand through his dyed hair. It was brown instead of his natural golden colored hair. Usually he'd dye it black but for this job he'd chosen brown.

Al looked as Alex gently placed the Princess down. "Ever the gentle giant, Alex?" Al said as walked towards the boat.

"I didn't want to hurt her." Alex responded.

"I know you didn't." Al looked up at his large friend, "But it probably would have been annoying if she was kicking and screaming every step of the way, right?"

Alex chuckled, "Yoki wouldn't like that."

"No he wouldn't." Al smiled. "Speaking of which, where is that sneaky bastard. I thought we were on a schedule."

"We are!" Came the somewhat irritable voice of Yoki as he came out of the woods. "Is the Princess secured?"

"Yes" Al looked suspiciously down at the man who he called boss. "What were you doing?" Yoki had disappeared about ten minutes ago holding green fabric.

"I was making sure that guard wouldn't be able to warn anyone anytime soon, we don't want the whole Amestrian army on our tails do we?" Yoki sneered.

"No we wouldn't." Al said dryly. Yoki headed into the boat and he followed.

"Good" Yoki seemed excited. "Now let's set off."

"Mr. Yoki?" Alex asked, standing next to the sleeping Princess.

Yoki sighed, "What is it Armstrong?"

"We're not going to hurt the lady are we?" Alex asked concerned.

"Does that matter?" Yoki rolled his eyes up at him.

"I don't think it's nice to hurt an innocent girl." Al put a warning hand on his simple minded friend's large arm. It was best not to rile Yoki up.

"Am I going mad?" Yoki pushed off of the side of the boat he was leaning on and walked up to Armstrong, a vein seemed to be pulsing in his forehead. "Or did the word think just escape your lips. You were not hired for your brains you hippomantanic landmass!" Armstrong backed up as Yoki angrily pointed a finger at him.

"Hey" Al stepped in, "Lay off, will ya. And I agree with Alex. We shouldn't hurt her."

"Arrrggg" Yoki let out a long groan. "Now to settle the matter. For this job we are ransoming a Princess and that's it. Cheer up boys, this is a prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious history."

Yoki walked past the two of them and stepped over Winry's unconscious body. He stepped behind the steering wheel. "Besides, Hohenheim, what happens to the Princess is not your concern. Do you understand that? Or should I give you a pint or two to get your mind straight?"

Al glared, but said nothing as he turned to ready the sail.

'A job's, a job.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

When Winry opened her eyes all she saw was a blue sky. She blinked as her eyes darted around in confusion. 'Where am I?' She became even more confused when she could see a mast with a large white sail on it. 'Am I on a boat?' As if on cue, a seagull flew overhead cawing obnoxiously. 'Shit...I am on a boat!', She remembered going out on her daily ride...when she came across three men who knocked her out. Her guard, being an uninterested idiot, hadn't even put up a fight before the big guy knocked him out too.

Winry assumed that she was now in the captivity of whoever those three men were. 'Should I move? What do I do?'

Turning her head to the side she got a better look at her surroundings. She was lying on the wooden deck of the boat, kind of stuffed in the corner against the staircase that must lead to the bridge. She wasn't tied up or anything so she could still move around. The boat was rocking slightly meaning that they were now on open waters. Hearing voices behind her she turned her head to look up at the railing over her. The tiny man and the man with brown hair were standing by the railing talking, actually it was more like arguing. Their voices were hushed, so she couldn't really tell. Their attention seemed to be completely diverted by whatever they were talking about. Moving as quietly as possible she slowly moved to get to her feet. Positioning herself so that she was crouched on all fours. She looked around but didn't see the huge one. 'Maybe he's below deck or something?' Above her the two men moved away from the railing. Winry sat back on her heels, sitting up she peered over the side of the ship.

Ocean, that's all she saw. Clear blue ocean.

Looking left and right, she saw nothing but a flat, blue horizon. She turned around and looked to see what was on the other side of the ship, she couldn't see much from her vantage point so she had to move over to the other side. Glancing at the two men again, she quickly scurried over as quietly as possible. Making it over to the other side, she looked over and saw land. Well land was a way of putting it. It looked more like a green line then a continent. 'Can I swim that?' It looked like miles and miles of water. She could swim, but this was really pushing it. Her red riding gown wasn't the best attire for swimming.

Suddenly a large hand was placed on her shoulder. She let out a shriek, spinning around to see the huge man behind her. The man looked startled by her reaction and took a few steps back. The two men at the wheel looked over and quickly began walking in her direction. Acting fast, Winry turned and swung a leg over the side but was stopped by the big man picking her up with one hand.

"I'm sorry about this, my Lady" The big man said. "But you can't leave." He was holding her by the back of her gown about four feet off the ground. Winry started thrashing and vainly hitting his tree trunk of an arm.

"No use struggling, Princess" The tiny man sneered as he came to a stop in front of them. "That man certainly wasn't hired for his brains."

Winry stopped struggling and glared down at the two men. The tiny one was looking up at her with a triumphant grin, while the younger one had a blank look on his face. He looked to be somewhere around her age. His head was brown, but if she looked closely behind his ears then she saw what looked like traces of gold. She focused on the tiny man, everything she had seen so far made him out to be the leader. He had a long face with a very small pointed mustache. His eyes were squinty and he just had an aura of superiority around him, like he thought that he was better than everyone else.

"Well I can certainly see that nobody hired you for your dashing good looks." Winry spat.

The tiny man's mouth formed a small line and he narrowed his eyes. On the other hand, she could see a hint of a smirk on the brown haired man's face. She looked at the big man holding her.

"Will you put me down!" She barked.

The man nodded quickly and gently placed her down. Straightening her dress, Winry looked suspiciously at her captors.

"Well Princess" The small man sneered again. "I'm sure it is quite a mystery for you as to who we are and why we've taken you."

"If it wasn't for your earlier comment I would assume you're some troupe of circus freaks." She looked at them all. "A giant, a human weasel…" She paused when she looked at the brown haired man. "What are you supposed to be?"

The man smirked "The lion tamer your Grace."

The small man, his face twitching at the weasel comment, spoke again. "I am here to inform you, your Grace" He said Grace in a mocking tone. "That we are your captors and you are our prisoner."

Winry bit her lip at that. Who were these men and what were they going to do to her. She didn't know the tiny man's name, so she was just going to call him Tiny.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked bluntly.

"Well the full extent of that is up to you" Tiny said, "The general idea is that we will ransom you and if all goes well you will return home safely."

'I'd be safer in a wolves den then back there.' Winry thought.

Tiny clapped his hands together. "Well now that we are all up to date, let's continue on. You." He pointed to the brown haired man. "Take the Princess back to her spot."

Tiny moved back up to the wheel as the brown haired man stepped forward. Winry took a step back as he advanced causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Hey" He held his hands up. " I don't bite."

"I wouldn't really know, would I?" Winry gave him a defiant look while taking another step back.

The man chuckled, "Well I'm not going to hurt you if that what's bothering you." He held his arm out like a mock servant. "I am merely going to escort your highness back to her chambers. I promise you it's the best our elegant vessel has to offer."

"No need." Winry pushed past him and sat in her corner.

The Giant and Brown Hair shared a look before going back to their respective duties.

Winry sat in the corner hugging her legs to her chest. There really wasn't much she could do. She was confident that if it came to a physical confrontation that she could take Tiny on and maybe Brown Hair if she got the jump on him. 'If only I had my wrench.' She grumbled in her thoughts. A good whack to the head could take Brown Hair out of commission. The trump card was the Giant. He had to be close to 7 feet tall, if not taller. There was probably nothing that she could do that could bring him down. 'Of all the days for you to suddenly become sick Scar. You pick the one that I get kidnapped!'

Winry couldn't really blame him as she was the one who told him to stay at the castle. If he had been there and in perfect health then she was sure that he could have taken the three of them on.

'I am surprisingly calm about all this.' Winry thought. 'Why?' Maybe it was the experiences of the last few days toughening her up or something. She just didn't feel the need to start panicking, what use would that be?

'I wonder what Selim is going to think when he learns that I've been kidnapped? Maybe I could convince these guys to drop me off somewhere after they get their money. Have Selim look for me for the rest of his life.'

 _You'll do everything I tell you to do and I won't skin the flesh off her wrinkled, decrepit body._

Winry felt her blood turn to ice. Was Selim going to do anything because of this? If she went back to him was he going to punish her or worse Granny?

'He told me never to leave, but I didn't leave voluntarily. The guard will tell him. He has to know that I was taken by force, right?'

Winry frowned as she continued to mull this over in her head.

'Am I trusting Selim to be reasonable? He's a monster, but I'm the princess after all. Kidnapping me is an insult to his authority. He's going to be angrier at the three of them then at me….I hope.'

Winry glanced up to see Brown Hair. "Um, excuse me?" She wasn't going to trust him, but she didn't want to take chances. Either way this guy hadn't done anything to harm her...yet.

He stopped and looked down at her. "Yes?"

"This is going to sound weird, but if you get caught can you please tell the Prince that I didn't come willingly?" Winry looked up at him.

"Why?" He asked in confusion.

"Just make sure he knows the truth." She pleaded.

Brown Hair was silent for a moment. "Ok I guess. But if I do get caught by the Prince, I'll probably be thinking about other things." He said with a small laugh.

"Thanks anyways." Winry mumbled before hugging her legs tighter to her chest and rested her head on her knees.

Brown Hair raised an eyebrow at her behavior. "You know, you're acting pretty calm for someone who has just been kidnapped."

Winry lifted her head to look at him. "If you're telling the truth and you set me free at the end of all this, then this is really isn't much more than a relaxing, yet expensive, boat tour along the coast." Winry said.

Brown Hair laughed, "What's a matter? The royal life not being quite as entertaining as it appears?"

Winry gave a weak smile, "It..has its ups and downs."

"Alphonse!"

Winry and Brown Hair both looked up to see an annoyed Tiny looking down at them. "Would you please not talk to the prisoner and manage the sails. Imbeciles." He then stormed back to the wheel muttering curses and obscenities.

Brown Hair sighed, "Duty calls."

"See you around" Winry muttered. "Alphonse." Alphonse gave a small smirk before moving off.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

'Things are going perfectly.' Yoki grinned to himself as he stood on the bridge. 'The two imbeciles suspect nothing and neither does the Princess.'

Thinking about her caused Yoki to frown, 'She has more spirit than I would care to deal with, but I doubt she will prove to be any more than an annoyance.' Yoki fingered the coins in the generous bag that he held. 'Years of doing jobs for fools and weaklings have finally payed off for me.' The promised prize of fulfilling this job was beyond anything that he could ever have imagined, certainly much more than this advanced bag offered. He looked down at Armstrong and Alphonse as they fulfilled their menial tasks. He shook his head. 'Managing the sails and steering a wheel. Jobs that any fool with a semblance of a brain could do. True intelligence is truly underappreciated.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry sighed. She was bored. She realized that was a pretty ridiculous thing to be when you've been kidnapped, but she couldn't help it. This was boring. 'I don't care what Tiny says, I'm taking a walk.'

She stood up, stretching her legs and feeling her back crack after sitting down for so long. She stretched her arms above her head and looked around. The boat wasn't very big. It was about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. There was a thick mast in the center of it with big white sails on it. The bow pointed far as the ship cut across the water. Turning around she looked up the stairs that lead up to the steering wheel. Right now the Giant was at the wheel and Alphonse was occupied with another task. Tiny was sitting on a chair, deep in thought. 'Should I just jump for at and try to swim away?' She thought to herself. 'No, I wouldn't get very far before they were on top of me. With this stupid dress, I'd stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe I could do it when it's night? Yeah, when most of them are asleep or distracted, I could slip overboard without them noticing.'

While they had told her that they wouldn't hurt her, she didn't really believe them. And Winry certainly had no intention of going back to Selim.

'Now could be the perfect time to escape him. If I get away from these guys I can go into hiding. Maybe somehow I can contact Granny without Selim knowing and we can get as far away from Amestris as possible.'

"Hey!" An irritating voice rang out behind her. She turned to see Tiny. 'What are you doing?" He demanded. Winry narrowed her eyes.

"Just going for a stroll. It's important to stay in shape." Winry drawled in a aristocratic tone. After being around people like that for weeks it was easy to pick up on it. "And what's it matter to you, Tiny?"

Tiny's face turned red with anger and his hands shook slightly. Winry was not intimidated in the slightest.

"Now you listen here, your Grace." He again said Grace in a mocking fashion. "May I remind you that you are my prisoner and you will do as I say."

'Oh, I'm guessing somebody doesn't like it when people stand up to him.' Winry thought.

"You said nothing about not being able to walk around." Winry said continuing to talk like a snob, enjoying the way that it annoyed Tiny. "And could you please take a step back?" She casually fanned the air away from her face. "Your breath is truly abysmal."

Yoki growled, his patience running thin.

"Oh yes, what is your name by the way." Winry actually wanted to know this. "I can't just keep calling you Tiny, despite how fitting it is."

"My name!." He growled. "Is none of your concern."

"It's Yoki." Al said as he passed them.

"Hohenheim!" Yoki jumped up and down in annoyance.

"Well Mr. Yoki." Winry said his name with as much distaste as he said Grace. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She then bowed elegantly, like she would if she was in the royal court. "Oh and if I may ask how do you plan on ransoming me? How exactly is this going to work?"

"That is not your concern." Yoki gritted through his teeth.

"I just want to know how likely your plan is going to fail. Unless of course you're some kind of a criminal mastermind."

Yoki couldn't help but smirk. "Well if you have to know I have other associates who will assist with the negotiations. We will notify the Prince of our demands and don't get too excited about us making a mistake, every step of this had been methodically thought out."

Winry thought about this for a moment. "Well, what if you hit a rock and the boat sank?"

"What?" Yoki asked.

"What if the boat hits a rock and it sinks." Winry repeated this like she was talking to a child. "What's your plan B if that happens?"

"That won't happen." Yoki insisted.

"How do you know? Accidents happen all the time."

"I have experienced sailors." Yoki defended.

"People make mistakes. What's your plan if they make a mistake." Winry was having fun annoying this man.

Yoki didn't reply and just glared at her.

"Oh well." Winry rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I guess everything really isn't methodically thought out. Hey do idiots with stupid mustaches float or sink?"

"Enough!" Yoki shouted. He grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly with him. Winry followed with a bored expression as Al watched from the side. She wasn't scared of Yoki, but his rough handling of her arm did sting due to her unhealed bruises. Yoki came to a stop back in her corner and looked at her. "I am tired of hearing you talk, Princess. Hopefully this will help you hold your tongue."

Before Winry could say a snarky comment, Yoki spun her around and before she knew it he was fastening a rag between her lips, gagging her. When he had tied a secure knot he spun her back around and looked at her smugly. "There, now kindly shut up."

He gave Winry a light push, knocking her on her butt. She glared up at him as he walked away.

'Aww, hell no!'

She brought her hands up and easily pulled the gag out of her mouth and off her head. Pulling the gag back with her fingers, she aimed it at Yoki. She remembered doing this once to Ed when he was getting really annoyed at a particular job. Having pulled it back enough with one hand, while holding it with the finger of the other, she let the rag go and it went flying and hit Yoki on the back of the head.

Yoki jumped out of his skin when it hit him and let out a rather embarrassing yelp. This was followed by loud laughter from Alphonse and the Giant. Yoki turned around fuming, but did nothing as Winry glared back with as much defiance as she could muster. Antagonizing him like this probably wasn't the best idea, but she couldn't help it. She was tired of being pushed around by smug bastards.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al was still chuckling at the Princess picking on Yoki. He walked up to where Alex was, "Eventful trip isn't it?"

"Yes it is." Alex responded. "It nice to not really have to hurt anyone."

"Yes it is." Al responded.

"Hey Al?" Alex looked down at him.

"Yes Alex?" Al looked up.

"How much longer are we going to doing jobs for Yoki?" Alex asked, "Why don't we leave?" He said in an innocent voice.

Al contemplated for a moment, "When we're ready."

"When is that?" Alex asked.

"When is what?" Al raised an eyebrow.

"The time when we will be ready."

"When we…we uh…", Al didn't know what to say. "I don't know." He shrugged.

"I hope it's soon." Alex said, "Mr. Yoki doesn't really care about many people, and he's always mean to you."

"He's mean to everybody." Al smirked, "I'm just the one who gives him the most attitude."

"Well, you used to be." Alex chuckled.

Al laughed, "Did you see the look on his face when she shot him with the rag?"

Alex laughed, "I never knew that his face could get so red."

"Went well with his stupid mustache, I think." Al smirked.

"I like her." Alex said.

"The Princess?" Al asked.

"Yes."

"Don't get too attached big boy." Al grinned as he he patted his large friend on the back, grinning at Alex's slow attention span. "I like her too though."

"When we finally go off on our own, I'll help you out with your...uh, your mission." Alex said faltering near the end.

"Mission huh? Well that's one way to call it." Al frowned as he thought about the promise that had plagued him for years.

"I want to help you Al" Alex said. "You helped me."

Al smiled up at his large friend, his intellect may not be the most reliable, but Al trusted no one else more.

"Thanks Alex."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The sun had set and it was now dark. The Princess had fallen asleep, much to Yoki's relief. Al sat on a barrel with his sword out. He was wiping it down with a cloth. The steel of the sword was already flawless, but Al often found himself passing the time by cleaning it. Next to Alex, this sword was the only real friend he had; well…it was more of a companion then a friend. During times like this Al felt like the sword was taunting him. Mocking him with its cleanliness; demanding why it is clean and not covered in blood...his blood. Al felt his demeanor darken at the thought of him.

'Where are you? Wherever you've hidden yourself I will find you.' Al hissed to himself as he thought about the man who had destroyed his life. Then his thoughts drifted to the other mystery in his life, his brother.

'Father said that my mother's name was Elric and that he would have the same eyes that I had.' Al traced his finger around his eyes. He had worn the contacts for so long he often forgot that they were there. His distinctive golden eyes and hair were too recognizable for his line of himself by dying his hair and wearing contacts with dull colors made him less distinguishable and more inconspicuous.

Breaking out of his thoughts Al looked around the ship. The barrel he was right now perched on was at the bow of the ship and he could see the rest of it from where he was. Alex was at the wheel and Yoki was sitting lazily off to the side. The Princess was still in her corner fast asleep. Al had to admit that she was a beautiful woman and strong willed. He hoped that she'd come out of this unharmed. Kicking off the barrel he slid his sword into its scabbard and headed to the wheel. Passing the Princess he glanced at her for a second before heading up to the stairs to the bridge of the boat.

Getting to the top of the stairs he nodded to Alex, "How's the water?"

"Calm" Alex responded.

Yoki was sitting back with his feet up on a barrel and a hat over his eyes. Al kicked the barrow lightly causing Yoki to startle, unaware that it was Al who had woken him up.

"Where are we?" He asked hurriedly.

Al looked around, "Somewhere near the Cretan border."

Yoki grinned, "Good, we'll reach the cliffs by dawn."

Al rolled his eyes and walked past them both to look off the back, standing next to the lantern that they had hung up. The water was calm and the moon was up, causing the water to shine. As he scanned the horizon his gaze stopped as he spotted something. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward to get a better look.

"What are you doing?" Yoki asked.

"Looking." Al responded.

Yoki sighed, "Why?" He asked irritably.

"Are you sure nobody's following us?" Al looked over at him.

"That would be inconceivable." Yoki said dismissively.

Al stared at him, before looking back to the moonlit horizon.

"Stop doing that!" Yoki said annoyed, "We can all relax now." He laid back. "No one in Creta knows that we're out here and nobody from Amestris could have gotten here so fast."

"Well that's really interesting." Al drawled, "So then who's that?" He pointed behind them.

"What?" Yoki shot up and was by Al's side in a second. "Where?"

"There." Al pointed.

Yoki looked and saw a small boat in the distance. It was about a couple hundred yards away. Yoki shrugged, "It's probably just some local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise at night...in eel infested waters." Yoki unfinished uncertainly.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry opened her eyes. The three idiots were distracted; it was now or never. Slowly moving up from her position she peered up at the bridge to see all three of them looking at something in the distance. Now was the time to escape them, to escape Selim, to finally be free again.

'Best chance I'm probably ever going to get.'

She looked over the side and even though it was night out she could still make out the shape of land in the distance. It didn't look too far but she was going to have too go for it. She was a decent swimmer and her dress wouldn't weigh her down too much. With one last glance at the trio in back, Winry made her move.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Move...move….MOVE!" He hissed to himself, his patience almost gone entirely.

'I could have picked any boat, any boat at all, and I had to pick this one!' Edward Elric looked over the side. 'Dammit, I could jump out and swim faster than this!' He had been following the other boat ever since they exited the river and entered the ocean.

Ed kicked a bucket that he usually used to remove excess water. 'Why am I even doing this? I haven't gained any ground on these assholes in hours. I'm going to be staring at the back of that stupid ship for the rest of my life!'

Ed sighed, 'What's the plan if I actually do catch up with these guys. I can't just say 'Hey can I borrow your kidnappedPrincess'? It's ok I know her.'

Ed felt a pang of nostalgia at calling Winry Princess. 'It's almost kind of funny. She's turned into an actual princess. What are the odds?'

'But she's not my princess. She's someone else's" He thought bitterly.

Ed took out his telescope and aimed it at the boat he was pursuing. Holding it steadily with his metal hand he had a clear view. Well it looked like the three idiots on the boat had finally noticed him and they were all standing there looking at him. He couldn't see Winry, which worried him.

'If they've hurt her, I'll kill them all!'

Despite her betrayal, Ed was still hopelessly in love with her. Just the thought of seeing her again and looking into her soft blue eyes filled him with an excitement that he hadn't felt in years. Knowing that no matter what, he was going to have to confront these men to get to her. He again looked back at the kidnappers.

The one in the middle was the shortest of the bunch with a pointy mustache: not a threat. The one the the left with the brown hair looked like he could be trouble: keep an eye on that guy. The last one made Ed pause.

'Holy shit! Look at that guy! How has he not sunk the whole boat?'

Ok the Giant was going to be the biggest problem. Ed had no idea how he was going to beat them all of once. 'Good thing, I'll have all the time in the world to figure that out. I've beat worst.'

Looking around the ship he noticed a flash of blonde in the moonlight.

'Winry?'

Looking closer he could see her slowly lowering herself out of the boat into the water, looking back up at the bridge of the boat. The three men were still staring at him, Ed smirked. 'Clever girl….oh shit!'

They were right now off the western coast of Creta which meant that the Cretan eels inhabited these waters. He frantically pointed the telescope back towards the boat and saw Winry starting to swim away from the boat. 'Shit, get back in the boat you idiot!'

Ed sighed, he was going to have to signal Winry's captors that she had escaped the boat. It pained him to do that to her, but if he didn't she would die. 'Anything they do to her because of this, would be better than being killed by those things.' Ed had seen it before, it wasn't pretty. As Ed thought this he felt something bump into the side of his boat. Looking over the side he paled when he saw several eels swimming past him towards the direction of the larger boat.

'I have to act fast.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Is he moving or is he just floating there?" Al asked.

"You can't really see from this distance." Alex joined in.

"Let's just ignore him." Yoki said as moved to sit down.

Al raised a hand to his ear as he thought he heard something. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Alex asked.

"It sounded faintly like someone's voice."

"Was it him?" Alex pointed towards the far away boat.

"I don't know."

Alex listened and faintly heard a voice as well. He couldn't make it out though.

"I hear it." He said.

"Where's it coming from?" Al asked.

"Could it have been someone else?"

"Maybe."

Yoki let out a groan of annoyance, jumping to his feet. "Do you see anyone else who it could possibly be?" He looked around randomly to emphasize his point. He froze when he looked behind him.

"Where is the Princess?!"

"What!" Al and Alex turned around.

Yoki pointed to the corner where the Princess had been and they all saw that she was not there. They ran down there and a quick survey of the rest of the boat showed that she was not nowhere.

"Where is she?!" Yoki screamed furiously.

Al looked over the side of the boat frantically while Alex, with his substantial height stood at the center of the boat looking in all directions.

"There!" He pointed a large finger to the right side of the boat. Al and Yoki both ran over and looked. About 20 feet away from the ship they could make out the Princess swimming away.

"Arrgghh" Yoki screamed, turning to Alex. "Turn the boat around, Armstrong!"

Alex hopped to it as Yoki joined Al back at the side.

"Princess!" Al called to her.

"Don't bother." Yoki grumbled, "Stupid bitch, when I get my hands on her."

Al glanced at him before looking back at the Princess. She was swimming even further away.

"Turn the bloody ship!" Yoki yelled.

"It takes a while." Alex defended.

Winry continued to swim, when suddenly she stopped at the sound of screeching. She began looking around, her head turning rapidly in search of the source to the horrible sound.

"Shit!" Al swore as he too heard the screeching. His grip on the ship's railing tightened while Yoki chuckled.

Yoki grinned, "Do you hear that Princess?" He called gleefully.

Al could see the Princess turn her head to look in their direction, a nervous look on her face.

"Those are the sounds of the Screeching Eels." Yoki continued, "A very well known native of these parts. Oh you haven't heard of them? Well I guess you don't have much of a brain in that pretty little head of yours. I'll tell you all about them then."

The sound of the screeching could be heard again, this time louder. Al ran to find a rope. They had to get her back soon.

"They're very interesting creatures." Yoki spoke with a sadistic smile. "In particular they like to screech when they're about to feast on human flesh." Al tied the rope around a spare plank of wood.

The eels screeched even louder.

"The louder the eels screech the closer they are to feeding." Yoki chuckled darkly. Al was back with the rope and started to swing it with the wood on the end. He let go and it landed about half way between the boat and the Princess.

"Princess swim to the rope!" He yelled. Winry looked indecisively back and forward from the floating block of wood and the distant shore. The boat began to turn, but Yoki suddenly called out.

"Stop the boat!"

"What are you doing?" Al demanded angrily.

"Enough out of you." Yoki said, "Stop the boat Armstrong."

Alex frowned and looked at Winry with concern but reluctantly stopped the boat.

"Now Princess." Yoki called to her again. "How about this, if you come back to the boat I promise that no harm will come to you. I doubt you'll get such an offer from the eels."

Al looked at Yoki with disgust, "If you let her die, they're going to skin us alive and feed us what they take off."

"That's up to her." Yoki said, looking like a madman. Turning back to the Princess, "Make up your mind Princess. They go silent right before the kill."

The Princess apparently made up mind as she began to swim to the rope. Al got ready to pull her in, "Alex come and help me!" He called.

The Princess grabbed the wood and wrapped her arms around the rope. As she did this something breached the surface several yards away from her, her face paled when she saw fins on its back.

"Pull me in!" She shouted as she felt something large swim past her right leg.

"You heard the lady." Yoki grinned as Al and Alex began to pull her in as fast as they could.

Winry looked around nervously as she was quickly being pulled back towards the boat. She heard the water break behind and she gasped when she saw nothing but teeth coming at her. It was about 10 yards away from her and closing in fast. "Hurry!" She screamed to the men pulling her.

Al and Alex saw the eel and began to pull as fast as they could, Winry was almost within arm's reach but the eel was coming too fast. She looked away and squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to feel that thing tear into her. Suddenly the sound of something being hit along with a splash sound. She opened her eyes to see Armstrong's fist coming out of the water where the eel had just been. Then Armstrong gently grabbed the back of her dress and lifted her out of the water. Dripping wet she was placed shivering on the deck of the boat. The adrenaline was still coursing through her veins when Yoki came at her.

She looked in his direction when he suddenly slapped her across the face. The shock of this coupled with her wet boots resulted in her falling hard on her side. She cried out when her aching ribs and side suddenly began screaming in pain after the rough fall. She felt Yoki grab her by the hair and drag her to the center of the boat. She distantly heard Al's protests as Yoki shoved her into the mast. Her hands were grabbed and pulled forward. They were quickly bound with a rough rope and tied to the mast. Panting furiously, Yoki stood back triumphantly.

Coughing as the pain began to dull in her chest, Winry hissed out, "The Prince will see you all hang."

"The only neck on this ship that you should be worried about Princess." Yoki knelt next to her. "Is your own." He chuckled. "You must think you're pretty brave don't you?"

"Braver then some." Winry glared as she began to feel exhaustion come over her.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al watched with disgust as Yoki walked away from the Princess. 'Sick bastard.'

Looking down at the Princess he felt a surge of pity for her. She was lying on her side curled into a ball. Her hands were hanging above her head bound to the mast like an animal and she was shivering. The clothes that she was wearing were completely drenched and the night was chilly, she looked miserable. He still saw her arms unconsciously trying to wrap themselves around her waist. He had first seen this after Yoki had slapped her and she fell. The slap had simply caught her off guard and the fall didn't look that bad, but while Yoki had been dragging her she had been clutching her chest as if it was on fire. He could only assume that she had a recent injury on her chest. Al frowned, how did she get that injury. Looking at her his eyes widened, with her hands bound over her head, her sleeves were riding low on her arms, showing off countless dark bruises.

'Where did those come from?'

 _If you get caught can you please tell the Prince that I didn't come willingly?_

'Why did she ask me that? Why wouldn't the Prince assume we took her against her will?'

 _It..has its ups and downs_.

'What the hell happened to her?'

Moving quickly Al grabbed the quilt that he had been planning to use as to sleep with later. Going back to the Princess he laid it on her shivering body. She initially flinched at the contact, but soon relaxed when the warm quilt covered her. She turned her head to look at him and Al saw something in her eyes that he hadn't seen before.

Sorrow.

"Are you still cold?" He asked.

"Yes" She said teeth chattering.

Al was about to look for something else to cover her with when he felt something touching his shoulder. Turning his head he saw Alex standing there holding out his very large and thick quilt. Al silently took it and draped it over the Princess.

She sighed in relief as warmth surrounded her thanks to the heavy layers of fabric. She looked up to see Alphonse and Armstrong who both had looks of pity.

"Thank you." She said softly.

Al nodded and stood up. "If you need anything just ask." He mumbled.

Winry nodded then looked at Armstrong, "Thank you Mr. Armstrong, for saving me from the eels."

"Please, call me Alex." He smiled.

Winry smiled back, "Call me, Winry."

Alex looked startled, "But Princess-"

"I'm not a Princess." Winry said almost bitterly as she rested her head as best she could in her position. "Please call me Winry."

Alex shifted (which caused the boat to shift) and blushed before speaking, "Okay Winry."

"How'd you get so strong if you don't mind me asking?" Winry looked up at him.

Armstrong smirked and struck a very manly pose, "Great strength has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!"

Winry let out a small chuckle, but winced when her side started to really hurt again.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked.

Winry managed a weak smile to which Alex smiled back but they were interrupted by Yoki who was at the wheel. "Hey you two brainless morons! Need I remind you that we are still being followed by an unknown vessel! One of you come here and take the wheel."

'Another vessel?' Winry thought.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about him" Al said, "Hey Alex you better go take the wheel before Yoki pops a blood vessel." Alex nodded before making his way over to the wheel where Yoki stood eyeing Al and Winry suspiciously. Al rolled his eyes at his boss' paranoia. Yoki was a hard man to work for but he was the only work that Al could find. Glancing down at Winry Al saw that she was falling asleep. 'Best for her to get some sleep, she's had a rough day, or week considering those bruises.' He thought before walking to the back of the ship. Whatever had happened to her he hoped it wouldn't happen a second time.

He patted Alex on the back as he passed his friend and looked out at the sea. The mysterious boat had gotten closer, now it was about 200 yards away. Al frowned as he tried to make out the shape through the darkness. Earlier they had heard what sounded like someone shouting, did it come that boat? Who else could it have been?

'Whoever is on that boat is definitely following us. Did he see us take the prin-I mean Winry?'

Back near the mast, Winry was curled up as best she could, trying to get comfortable. The coldness was starting to go away thanks to the quilts. She was very grateful to Al and Alex for giving them to her. 'The two of them aren't that bad, unlike Yoki. Alex is like a gentle giant. Al, there's something familiar about him. I'm not sure what...oh I know. He reminds me of Ed!'

Winry felt her heart clench as she thought of her lost lover. 'Oh, I wish he was here to hold me. I'm tired…I'm so tired. I don't want to have to live like this. If Ed was here, he'd save me.' She thought sadly.

'But he can't. He's gone.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The next morning when the sun had come up the boat was still following them, much to Yoki's fury. It was obvious that whoever this was knew that they had taken the Princess. Al was sitting down solemnly. Something was really starting to bother him about this job. The way Yoki had acted the previous troubled him. Yoki was certainly cruel, but not stupid. Al would never have known him to leave such a valuable ransom at the mercy of Cretan eels.

"Hey Al?" Alex asked, as he walked towards his friend.

"Yes Alex." Al looked up.

"I found this." Alex held out an outfit.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"I don't know, I found it stuffed behind Yoki's bag."

"Why were you looking..never mind why are you showing it to me."

"Because it has a hole in it and I saw Yoki with a piece of it yesterday."

Al looked surprised at Alex and took the outfit. It was green, like the green fabric that Yoki had carried off into the woods.

"Yeah, I saw him too. Good find." Al smiled at Alex.

Looking down at the outfit again, Al saw that it was part of a uniform. Taking it from his friend he stood up with a frown on his face. "I'll take it."

Uniform in hand he walked up to Yoki who was glaring at the boat still following them.

"Who is that?" Yoki hissed to himself.

"I don't know, but does he have anything to do with this?" Al tossed the uniform at Yoki, who caught it clumsily.

"What is this?" Al demanded.

Yoki looked down at it. "A uniform." He said in an uninterested tone.

"Why were you taking a piece of it into the woods with you back when we grabbed Win-the Princess?" Al folded his arms. Yoki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Looking at Al, he smiled, "I haven't been completely honest with the two of you. This isn't a ransom, it's a framing."

"What?" Al asked confused.

"This" Yoki tapped the uniform. "Is the uniform of a captain of the Cretan military, I placed it in the hand of the Princess' dead bodyguard ."

Al paled slightly. "You killed the guard? Why?"

"So when they find his corpse clutching the fabric that he had ripped from his attacker they will think that the Cretans have kidnapped the Princess. Come on Alphonse, this isn't very complicated." Yoki smiled as if what he was doing was some everyday chore.

Al racked his hands through his dyed hair, trying to figure out what was happening. "Why would you do any of this?"

"Simple, Alphonse." Yoki said. "To start a war."

Al froze in his movements and stared at Yoki in horror.

"Then when the Princess ends up in the custody of the Cretans, Prince Selim will have no choice but to declare war." Yoki flashed Al a proud smile.

"So there's no contacts in Creta who will help negotiate?" Al said dumbly.

"Of course not." Yoki grinned.

"Why are we starting a war! What could we possibly profit from this? I never agreed to commit genocide!"

Yoki shook his head at Al like he was a dumb child who didn't understand. "Someone very powerful is paying me gold and more to do this. Of course you can share in the reward if you want Alphonse. Either way it's too late, no going back now. At this time the Prince has found the evidence that I have left and is right now in hot pursuit. I haven't the faintest idea who this interfering little shit could possibly be." Yoki pointed to the pursuing boat. "But we might as well get paid at this point."

Al was speechless.

"What's the matter Alphonse? Cat got your tongue? No witty remark or snide comment to dish out?" Yoki laughed.

"This isn't right." Al protested weakly.

Yoki laughed, "Right! Now when have you ever cared about what was right. If you don't like this then don't participate, but remember what you were before I found you."

Al looked at his feet as Yoki continued. "When I found you, you were some drunken orphan with no place to go. Penniless, homeless, and no family! No one wanted you and no one cared about you. You'd try to kill random people just to get the money to buy more drink. If I hadn't been so merciful that day you would have died in a gutter. The only reason you have clothes; the only reason you have food; the only reason you still have that fancy sword you cherish so much is because of me. Now if what I'm doing steps over your 'moral code' then you can jump off the boat and die with the eels. They're the only company you deserve."

Al was silent as he neither protested nor looked at Yoki.

"Well you don't have to say anything, we're here!"

Pointing ahead of the ship Yoki shouted triumphantly.

"The Cliffs of Insanity!"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **I like how every two minutes in the movie equals a whole chapter. I feel like Peter Jackson with the Hobbit series.**

 **Yoki is so delightful isn't he.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, sorry I was a few days late with this one. There were some family issues. Again thank you for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

As Al and Yoki argued, unbeknownst to them, Winry was listening. She heard that Yoki had killed her bodyguard and was planning to start a war. From how Al had reacted it was clear that Yoki had lied to him as well as her.

'That bastard wants to start another war? Wasn't one enough?' She thought in her head. "Well Selim has been prattling on about Creta for a while now, so this should make him happy.'

She was startled out of her thoughts by a kick to the shins. Looking up she glared at Yoki.

"Time to get up Princess." he grinned, pulling out a knife and dropping to one knee. He cut the rope that was binding her to the mast, but left her hands tied together. Pulling her up, Yoki gave her a shove towards the plank that served as a bridge between the boat and the land. Winry stumbled a little but kept herself from falling over. Looking up she saw Al staring off into the distance with an uncertain look on his face.

"What's the matter Al?" Winry mumbled to him, "Something bothering you?."

Al didn't respond and avoided her gaze. Yoki grabbed Winry's arm and pulled her with him, while talking to his two minions.

"Well don't just stand there, you two. We need to scale the cliff within the hour."

'Scale the cliff, huh?' Winry thought.

Winry looked around as she stepped onto the rocks that rested at the bottom of the cliffs. Looking up she marveled at how tall these cliffs were, they had to be about 400 feet tall at least. Looking back down, she didn't see any climbing gear, or really anything for scaling a cliff. All that was there was a single rope that apparently went all the way to the top. It swayed around in the wind.

"So" She said aloud, "How exactly do you plan on scaling this cliff? If we're going to climb would you mind untying my hands." She lifted her bound wrists into Yoki's face.

Slapping them away, Yoki boasted, "No need to fear, your Highness. I didn't come all this way without a plan." He pointed to Alex who was right now giving the rope some experimental tugs.

"You've got to be kidding me." Winry said.

"Afraid not, your Grace." Yoki turned to Al, "Do help the Princess, won't you?"

Al glared at him silently before walking up to Winry. He still couldn't meet her gaze as he lifted her in the air, "Put your hands over his head." He mumbled.

Winry slid her hands over Alex's head and she hung there against Alex's back with the rope binding her hands around his neck.

"Isn't this bothering you?" Winry asked.

Alex turned his large head slightly, "Not at all."

"Oh" Winry said, "Ok". She felt stupid, just hanging there like a fish left out to dry.

Al came from the side with a harness and strapped himself to Alex's side. Yoki did the same, but against Alex's stomach, so he was eyelevel with the giant.

"Everybody ready?" Alex asked.

"Yes we're ready you fool! Get moving." Yoki yelled.

"Alright, alright." Alex said, "I just want to make sure everybody's ok before I head up. I don't want one of us to fall halfway up. Princess are you all set?"

"Actually, if it's not too much trouble, you can just leave me here." Winry drawled.

"Sorry I can't." Alex said, sounding genuinely sorry. "Are you ready Alphonse?"

"Climb!" Yoki yelled.

"Ok" Alex grabbed the rope and with a single pull had begun the climb.

Winry looked down as the ground slowly began to shrink away. 'Well this is a way to travel.' She thought. She looked out to the ocean and saw the unknown ship beginning to enter the cove that led to the cliff. A single, tall figure in black was standing on the deck and was staring up at them, his coat blowing behind him. Winry felt his eyes land directly on her. She stared back as a strange feeling filled her. For some reason she thought back to her first public appearance weeks ago. There had been a tall figure in black there as well. 'It couldn't be the same person, right? But his gaze, it feels so familiar.'

Winry shook her head, 'Who is he?' She wondered.

She continued to stare at the man as Alex began to pick up the pace and they were now climbing at a steady speed. She pulled herself up and grabbed onto Alex's shirt to take less stress off of him. In this position she was now looking straight at Yoki.

"Hey" She said, "Hang around here often?"

"Quiet you." He hissed.

"Or what?" She challenged. "You going to throw me off?"

Yoki took out his knife from earlier, "I can make this very unpleasant for you."

"Now why would you do that?" Winry asked, "The Prince might pay less money for a damaged princess."

Yoki didn't say anything, but put the knife away with a knowing smile playing on his lips and a little chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Winry drawled.

"You'll see." He grinned.

Rolling her eyes at his giddiness she looked back down at the ground. The man had docked his ship and was running to the rope. Grabbing on to it he started to climb it as well.

"Well would you look at that." Winry said, looking straight at Yoki, "Our mystery boat man is also a climber."

Yoki looked down, his face contorting in anger. "Damn it!" He shouted.

"I think he's actually gaining." Winry was having fun annoying Yoki.

Yoki growled, then looked at Alex, "Faster!"

"I thought I was going faster." Alex said.

Yoki growled, "You're supposed to be this colossus. The Great Armstrong, and yet he gains!"

Alex grunted at the strain of his labor, "Well, I'm carrying three people and he's only carrying himself."

"I do not accept excuses!" Yoki yelled.

"Will you shut up!" Winry yelled, "Hey Alex, can you just drop me, I don't want to listen to this idiot anymore."

"I'm sorry Winry but I can't, the fall would kill you." Alex said not noticing her sarcasm.

They continued to climb up the cliff, Winry couldn't tell how far up they were. She had to admit she was impressed by Alex's strength. Looking down again the man in black was even closer up the rope. 'Wow, he's pretty strong too. I wonder if he's here to rescue me.' Winry thought to herself.

"Go faster you imbecile!" Yoki hissed. Winry was surprised that Al wasn't sticking up for Alex. He was still silently brooding on Alex's side.

Winry spoke again. "Hey Alex, don't listen to Yoki. I think you're a wonderful climber.

"The Art of Mountain Climbing has been passed down the Armstrong Line for generations!" Alex boasted loudly, much to Yoki's annoyance

Eventually they reached the top of the cliff. The man in the black was close behind them. Winry could see he was wearing a black mask and coat. Whoever he was he looked rather fit and strong. The entire time his eyes had not left Winry.

Alex held on to the rope as Al climbed over him and on to the edge. Turning around Al grasped Winry around her wrists and pulled her up onto the hard rock edge. The first thing she noticed was that they were now among ancient ruins of some fort or castle. The rope that they had climbed was tied around a very big boulder. She was able to get her footing and stood up. Looking at Al she saw he still couldn't look at her.

"Starting a war and killing thousands of people sucks doesn't it?" She said.

Al looked up at her finally. "Yes it does."

Behind them Yoki had crawled over the edge and quickly stood up. Looking over Alex as he himself crawled over, he sneered down at the man in black.

"I don't know who you are or what you're after, but you're little adventure ends now."

Stepping past Alex, he walked up to the rock and took out his knife. He crouched down chuckling to himself as he began to cut through the rope. Winry looked at the rope going over the edge, it was twitching as the man in black continued to climb. 'He's going to die.' Winry thought, suddenly without warning she shouted at the top of her lungs, "THEY'RE CUTTING THE ROPE!"

The second later the rope snapped and flew off the edge of the cliff. Yoki ran to the edge and looked down. The rope had fallen to ground but the man in black had not. He was hugging the wall about 3/4 of the way up the cliff's edge. Yoki couldn't make out what he looked like, but his blood boiled when he saw the man waving tauntingly at him. Turning around he glared at Winry. Knife in hand he suddenly lunged forward. Winry's eyes widened and she stepped back, but tripped on one of the many rocks on the ground. Yoki continued to charge, knife outstretched only seconds away. Winry let out a scream and shielded herself with her arms. Suddenly Yoki was pushed to the side by Alphonse. Stumbling and falling, Yoki looked up at Alphonse who was glaring at him, Armstrong was standing behind them eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" Al hissed.

Yoki stood up, dusting his grey clothes off. He looked up at Al with an amused smile. Al glared back at him, when suddenly a thought popped up in his head.

"Yoki...you pride yourself on being an intelligent man, right?" Al asked quietly.

Yoki nodded.

"Then tell me, in this plan to hand the Princess over to the Cretans. What's to stop them from apprehending us and giving us to Amestris. They don't want a war, so what would stop them?"

"Absolutely nothing I believe." Yoki said.

Al swallowed as his concerns had been confirmed. Yoki had just been giving them lie after lie.

"You're going to kill her, aren't you?"

Yoki grinned, "Yes."

All three of them froze as what Yoki said washed over them. Yoki decided to capitalize on their silence, "It's too late to back out now. The two of you are too involved. You may think that you are so noble but you're nothing but hired thugs. Jobs like this are what we have always done, so why all of a sudden have you grown a backbone? It doesn't matter what happens to her, not to the likes of you two. And besides, right now the only thing that you should be worried about is that man." Yoki pointed to the edge.

He moved to stand in front of Winry. "Now Princess, I plan on killing you quickly, but that can always change depending on your behavior within the next few moments." Yoki reached down to pick up his knife with a sadistic smile. Alex let out a cry of protest while Al looked away in shame. Winry's eyes widened as she realized what Yoki was going to do.

"Wait!" Winry shouted, "Wait!"

Yoki grinned, "Now why would I do that?"

"The man down there, the man in black." Winry was grasping at straws, "He's obviously after me. Don't you think you should find out why before you kill me? Suppose he overpowers these two." She motioned to Al and Alex, "Or suppose he has backup coming. Then I'm your only bargaining chip." Winry hoped her logic would make sense.

Yoki scoffed, "Beat a master swordsman and a hulking giant? Unlikely, but I'll humor you Princess, let's see if your 'champion' in black is up to the challenge." He turned to Al, "Alphonse, wait here until he comes up, then kill him."

Al looked up at Yoki with a disgusted look, "Why should I? Why should I do anything you say?"

"Well then I guess my friends in high places can stop looking for your man." Yoki said, "Wouldn't that be a shame, all these years and nothing to show for it? And to think you were starting to get close..." Yoki trailed off in a overly dramatic fashion. Al clenched his fists tightly but relented. Sighing he pulled his sword out of its sheath.

Yoki smiled triumphantly, "Armstrong and I will continue on with the Princess. Make this quick."

Yoki turned to Winry, "Since you will sticking around for a little while I need to make sure that you don't cause any trouble."

Quickly he cut the bindings around Winry's wrists. Before she could react, he wrenched her arms painfully behind her back and quickly bound them again. Then a ball of fabric was suddenly stuffed into her mouth, with a long piece tied around her face to keep her from talking.

Yoki stepped back to examine his work, grinning at Winry's helpless state. "I should have done this a long time ago."

Winry closed her eyes, 'This day just keeps getting better and better' She thought miserably. Suddenly she felt a hand softly grip her shoulder, she turned to see Al standing there with pity and guilt in his eyes. He leaned forward and whispered, "Stay close to Alex, he won't let Yoki kill you. I don't ask for your forgiveness but I'm sorry for the part I've played in all of this."

Winry couldn't say anything, but she gave Al a nod. Al returned the gesture, then moved to stand above the edge, looking downward.

Yoki came and pushed Winry to Alex. "Carry her, let's go."

As Alex gently threw her over his shoulder, she took one last glance to Alphonse who stood there like a predator watching its prey, hand on sword, ready to fight.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al could hear Alex and Yoki leaving. 'Alex will keep her safe.' He thought. Pushing those thoughts out of his head he looked down at the mysterious man in black, who was slowly climbing up the side.

'Before I kill him I should try to find out who he is.'

A few minutes passed and the man in black seemed to have hardly moved an inch.

'This is going to take a while.'

"Hello?" Al called down, "Mr. Mysterious Man in Black?"

There was a moment's pause before he heard a reply,"Hi, how's it going?"

"Well, I have to admit I could be better." Al said in reply.

"Really?" The man said back. "Me too."

There was a long moment of silence before Al spoke again: "I don't want to rush you or anything, but would you mind speeding this up?"

"Do you need to be somewhere?" The man asked.

"I don't want to be here all day." Al shrugged.

"Well, maybe if you didn't cut the rope then I'd be up there by now."

"That wasn't me. That was Yoki."

"Well that's good to know, can I thank him?"

"Actually it's just me at the moment. I was told to wait for you up here." Al said honestly.

"You know." Al could hear the man huff as he pulled himself up with only his hands. "This really isn't as easy as it looks, so would you let me concentrate?"

"If you fell then my job would be done."

The man gave a humorless laugh. "Sorry, but I suggest you get comfortable."

Al sighed, then he looked back down, "There's more rope up here, I could toss you some to speed this up."

"It's nothing particularly personal, but I don't really trust you."

"Fair enough." Al said, "Is there anything I could tell you that could make you trust me?"

"Nothing really comes to mind."

The man had now climbed closer to the top, from what Al could see he was wearing black with what looked like a black mask.

"What if I swore on my honor as a swordsman?"

"There's not too much honor there." The man replied.

'Maybe I can just throw rocks at him.' Al thought, then shook his head. He'd never been one to unfairly take advantage of a person who was at a clear disadvantage. Looking over to where Alex and Yoki went, he resolved to finish this as quickly as possible. Looking down at the man he could make out the man's eyes from this distance. They were greyish black and they focused right on him.

"I swear on the name of my late father Van Hohenheim, you will make it to the top of this cliff alive."

The man paused as he stared back up at Al. After a moment he let out a sigh, "Actually you don't need to toss the rope, I can do something to get me up there quicker. thanks for the offer though. Can you promise not to kill me the moment I get up there?"

"I promise." Al replied.

Al saw the man reach into a pocket of his cost and pull out something white. The man then used this white thing, most likely chalk, to draw on the side of the cliff. After a moment of drawing, the man slapped his hand down on his drawing and suddenly steps formed out of the side of the cliff.

"Wow." Al whispered as the man began to work his way up the side of the cliff. The man stared at him, unblinking, looking for any sign that Al might pull a dirty trick. He saw none and soon enough he was stepping onto the edge of the cliff. Al took a step back and observed the man as he collected himself. He was tall and dressed almost entirely in black: black clothes, black coat, black boots, black gloves, and a black mask that covered most of his face. Just his mouth and jaw was left uncovered. The only thing about his outfit that was not black was a small red cross that was on his chest. He had a sword strapped to his belt. The man's dark eyes looked at him and he moved to draw his sword.

"Wait." Al held his hand up. His fair nature was going to get him killed one of these days.

The man stopped but left his hand on his sword's hilt, eyes narrowing. Al took his silence to continue.

"We might as well rest for moment before we fight."

"Why?" The man asked suspiciously.

"Well you just had to climb up the side of a cliff all by yourself and you're probably a little tired."

"So?"

"So." Al continued, "I wouldn't think it would be fair to fight a person while they're tired."

"That's noble of you." The man said.

"It's probably not smart, but it's my way." Al shrugged.

"I thought you said you were in a hurry." The man questioned, still not removing his hand from his sword.

"They'll wait for me. I think." Al moved to sit down on a rock.

"What's to stop me from just killing you right now?" The man followed him slowly.

Al turned around, "Faith in honor I guess. I could have killed you the second you climbed up or simply thrown rocks at you."

The man nodded and then after a moment of hesitation moved to sit down on a rock across from Al. He sat down and the two men stared at each other.

"So what now?" The man asked.

"We rest." Al shrugged again.

The man gave a small smirk. He looked like he was relatively young, but it was hard to tell. He spoke in a Xingese accent, but didn't look Xingese.

"I saw you had two other friends on the boat with you." The man said. "The large one and the little one. Where are they?"

"Somewhere, they might be watching us right now." Al responded.

"And the Princess?" The man asked.

"Safe with them...do you know her?" Al asked.

"Why would you say that?" The man asked.

"I'm just trying to figure out who you are. That was a topic of debate through the night." Al said. "And the Princess did just warn you that Yoki was cutting the rope. Why would she do that for a stranger?"

The man was silent for a few moments, eyes looking down. "Maybe she's just a nice person." He said with a monotone voice, then looked straight at Al.

"After she warned me about the rope, I heard her scream. Why?" The man's face was emotionless, but his dark eyes were blazing.

Al chewed his tongue, trying to think of a response. "Why are you following us?" He asked instead.

"I have my reasons." The man said, "Why did she scream?"

"That was Yoki." Al said, "He...he's on a mission of his own. Don't worry she's in good hands."

The man's face was stone as he stared silently. Al decided to ask him something.

"What was that back there?" Al pointed to the steps.

"Oh that?" The man looked, "That was alchemy."

"You're an alchemist?" Al asked impressed.

"Well it's more of a hobby then a profession. I've just started to get good at it."

Al nodded and then decided to ask another question.

"Have you ever been to a village on the west coast of Amestris called Baschool?"

The man shook his head no, "Why do you ask?"

Al thought to himself, 'Should I tell him? Why not?'

"My father was killed by a man in Baschool about ten years ago."

The man nodded, "Who was this man?"

"I don't really know, I never learned his name." Al said honestly.

"Why did he kill your father?" The man asked.

"My father was a man of many talents. He was a scholar and an inventor. He could read the most complex of literature and create the most wonderful contraption. One day a man came and asked my father if he could make a sword for him. My father was very skilled at smelting and he so he agreed. The man paid in advance. It was the greatest sword that my father had ever crafted. He put his heart and soul into it, like he did everything else." Al smiled at the memory of his beloved father. The man in black listened intently. "When the sword was completed the man came back. He approved of the sword, but he wanted his money to be returned too him. My father said no and without a second's hesitation he slew my father with a single slash of the sword that my father had made for him. I was watching and being a foolish 8 year old I grabbed my father's sword from the man's hands and tried to slay him with it." Al paused as he remembered the night that had ruined his life, the man in black noticed this. "He used the sword that he had brought with him and gave me these." Al pointed to the lined scars on his cheeks. "I ran, clutching my father's sword to my chest, I ran. I failed to avenge my father and I ran like a coward."

"You were 8." The man said incredulously.

"Yeah." Al smirked, "At least I have that as an excuse."

The man returned the smirk.

Al continued, "So that night, I swore I would one day avenge my father. I still have the sword my father made." Al pulled his sword out of its sheath. The masked man tensed but relaxed when it was clear that Al was not going to attack him. Then much to his surprise Al held the sword out for him to take.

The masked man looked at Al with bewilderment. Al simply smirked, "Go ahead take a look, just make sure to give it back." Al joked. The masked man raised an eyebrow and took the sword, he stood up and examined the blade. After doing a few practice swings he turned back to Al.

"I have never seen its equal. Your father was indeed an artist." He said before handing the sword back to its owner.

"You know.." The masked man began, "Giving your opponent your sword was not a smart strategy." He said with a smirk.

Al shrugged, "Hey I helped you up the cliff the least you can do is give me my sword."

"So you've been searching for revenge for the last ten years?" The man asked in slight wonderment after a moment of silence.

"Well, on and off." Al said, "The revenge business isn't very profitable."

The man chuckled.

"I have to do odd jobs to keep afloat and I do admit, the search has been waning in the last few years." Al shrugged, "But I still remember what the man looked like. He was tall, very tall. He had black hair and a small moustache. His eyes were grey and cold. If I ever find him, things will turn out differently then during that night in Baschool." Al lifted his sword as if he was fighting an invisible man in front of him. "And I will show him the same mercy he showed my father. I..I'll say to him: hello my name is Alphonse Hohenheim, you killed my father prepare to die!"

"I hope you find him one day." The mask man frowned slightly, "Speaking of mercy, what do you intend to do to the Princess?"

Al frowned as well, "Why are you so interested?"

"It's...just business." The man said rather ambiguously.

"Business huh? I doubt someone would go through this much trouble over 'business'." Al said.

"Isn't that what your friend Yoki is right now doing?" The man said with a edge.

Al sighed, "He's not a friend. He's a lying, manipulative, greedy bastard."

"You seem like a decent person. Why work for a man like that?"

Al clenched his fist and looked down at his lap. "Unfortunately I owe him a debt. He's the only one who'd hire me and he's helped me in my search for my father's killer. But as soon as I get the chance I'm leaving, I'm not working for that man anymore."

"What is he going to do to the Princess?" The man asked seriously.

"He's...he's going to kill her." Al said solemnly.

The man's whole body twitched, but other then that he didn't react. "And you agreed to be apart of this?" He spoke in a strained voice.

"I didn't know. That little bastard lied to us!" Al paused then spoke, "If her safety concerns you, know that she is safe with Alex."

"Alex?"

"The big guy. He may look intimidating but he's a gentle soul. He won't let Yoki kill her. Besides Yoki won't try to kill her until you're taken care of."

The man sighed, "I think I've rested enough." He stood up, "Are you ready?"

Al nodded, standing up himself.

"Could I possibly ask you to step aside and let me pass?" The man asked.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't ran away from a fight since I was eight." Al shrugged.

The man nodded and paused before speaking, "If you win this duel, can you promise me something?"

Al raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Um okay. What is it?"

"Can you promise me that no harm will come to the Princess? That she will live." The man spoke determinedly.

Once again Al stared in awe of the mysterious man before collecting himself, "I promise."

"Well ok then." The man looked at his sword then looked at Al and extended his hand. Al looked at it then up at the man. He took the hand and shook it. Al didn't want to have to kill this guy, he seemed like a good man and for whatever reason, somewhat familiar. Maybe that's why he told him his life's story. A weird, vague connection that Al guessed existed between them. Well the man was wearing a mask and Al was in a disguise. Maybe they had met at one point, but never knew it. The man nodded and they each took a step back from each other. Drawing their swords the two men stared at each other. Looking into his opponent's eyes Al saw some reservation in them, perhaps he was feeling some hesitation as well. It was so quiet they could have heard a pin drop.

Al made the first move as he thrust forward, aiming directly for the man's chest. The move was easy parried by the man in black, who responded with a quick slash to Al's throat. Al brought his sword up to block the slash and pushed the sword away from him, leaving the man in black seemingly open to attack. Al swung his sword down at him, but like lightning the man's sword was there. Al pressed the attack, driving the man in black back as the sounds of their swords connecting filled the air. The man put up a seemingly impenetrable defense as he backed up from Al's assault. Eventually he was able to knock Al's blade far away from him and pushed forward in his own attack. Al retreated as he blocked the man's swift strikes. Years of training had molded him into an expert swordsman. They parried blow for blow, retreating just as much as they advanced. At one point Al attempted a swipe at the man in black, who rolled under it and quickly stood up, ready to continue the fight. Al pressed him up to a decrepit set of stairs that led into the ruins. Once they reached the top Al ducked under a jab from the man and thrusted his own sword out. The man stepped back and swatted the sword away with his gloved hand and swung at Al, who blocked it, then jumped away from another hard swing. The man backed him into a corner of what might have once been a wall of a cathedral. Al ducked from a slice that cut against the wall sending sparks flying, then pushed forward with all his might, the man maneuvered away and suddenly found himself against a wall that was at the edge of the cliff. He brought his sword to block Al's swing and grunted as Al pushed down on his blade. Al brought his hand to the tip of his blade and pushed the man against the wall. The wall creaked and they could feel it tipping towards the edge. The man put a foot on Al's stomach and kicked him away. Al landed back in his corner. The two men stood against their respective surfaces staring at each other.

"Who are you?" Al asked, trying to catch his breath.

"No one of consequence." The man smirked.

Al returned the smirk, "I must know."

"Get used to disappointments."

"I had to try."

They leaped back into it, dueling gracefully across the barren ground. Parrying each blow and countering every surprise attack. It continued on and on, with no clear end in sight. Both men seemingly equal to the other; both with hard looks on their faces as they threw their all into the duel. Soon Al began to tire of this fight and anxious to win it. He didn't see any sign of his opponent tiring so he started looking for any opportunity for a swift victory. Looking the man in black over he saw a small window of possibly hitting him in his left shoulder. Right now their blades were connecting to the right on the man, so if Al was quick enough, he could land a hit. To throw the man off, Al viciously attacked his right, driving all of the man's attention to that area. Then, as fast as lightning, Al drew his sword back and thrusted towards the man's left shoulder. Al was sure his strike would hit home, but was shocked when the man somehow was able to parry the blow. The man quickly switched his sword hands, tossing it from his right hand to his left. Al gave a desperate swing but was even more surprised when the man caught his blade in his right hand. Al tried to pull it back, but the man had an iron grip on his sword. The man brought his sword down on Al's hand. He hit with the blunt side of the sword, so he only knocked the sword out of Al's hand.

Al grasped for his weapon, but froze when the man warningly pointed his blade at him. Al stood up to his full height, staring at his now victorious opponent.

"Kill me quickly." was all he said.

The man in black kept his sword pointing at Al as he circled behind him.

"You know what? I think I'd rather break a stained glass window."

"What?" Al turned his head around.

"But since I can't have you following me.." The man suddenly whacked Al on the back of the head and he saw no more.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Edward let out a relieved sigh as Alphonse lay still on the ground. That had probably been the toughest sword fight that he had ever participated in. Ed let himself have a moment's rest. He looked down at his right hand and saw his glove was cut, showing off a bit of metal. He hadn't killed Alphonse because of the respect he had for the extremely skilled swordsman. The other reason was the apparent kindness that he had shown Winry and his reluctance to hurt her.

'But this Yoki won't be so fortunate.' He growled to himself. Alphonse had said that the giant, Alex, would protect Winry. Ed didn't know why but he believed Alphonse. 'If this Alex was kind to her and doesn't make it too difficult for me I might let him live too.' Sliding his sword back into its scabbard he walked around the unconscious swordsman and headed in the direction that the foot prints leading away went.

'So 1 down, 2 to go. That giant's going to be a problem, but I've handled big men before." Ed thought of four certain big men on his crew. He'd had to beat every one of them in a physical fight to earn their respect. Now he knew ways to take a big man down.

Ed's thoughts strived away from his upcoming fight and instead focused on Winry. Hearing her scream, while he had been hanging off a cliff unable to do anything, had torn through his body like a razor. He shouldn't care whether or not she was hurt, but he did. Despite all the pain she had caused him in the past few weeks, he still loved her and wanted to protect her.

'Maybe when we meet again she'll see and might...dammit who am I kidding? She's found another man and a prince at that! Yet here I am.' He thought miserably to himself. She had obviously let him go so why was he unable to do the same thing? Hearing her sweet voice as she warned him was like rediscovering a drug. Once he got it in his system again, all he wanted was more.

Picking up the pace, he thought of Yoki, the apparent mastermind of this whole venture. 'Maybe before I run my sword into his gut I'll ask him why he wants to kill a princess.'

Eventually Ed came across an area with some very large boulders. He eyes scanned for any threat and moved forward. Suddenly a very big rock crashed into the boulder next to him. Ed snapped into action, sword drawn, ready for anything.

The large man, Alex, was standing next to another boulder holding an even larger rock in his hand.

"I did that on purpose. I don't have to miss." He said.

"I believe you." Ed said cautiously, he noticed that they now appeared to be in a standstill.

"So what happens now?" He asked the larger man.

"Now, we face each other as God intended. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone." The giant said.

'What are with these people and their overarching sense of fairness? Well I guess it's nice to see that there is still some honor left in this world.'

He looked back up at Alex. "So what you're saying is I put down my sword and you put down you're rock and we try to kill each other like civilized people?"

"I could kill you now." Alex raised his rock, with a smirk.

"Ok then." Ed lowered his sword. "But I think you have a slight advantage when it comes to hand fighting."

Alex shrugged, "I didn't ask to be born the biggest and the strongest. It's a family trait, I don't even exercise." He threw his rock to the side while Ed put his sword down.

"Tell me, whoever you are, did you kill Al?" Alex asked.

"No." Ed said, "Can I ask. Why does Yoki want to kill the Princess?"

"To start a war. But he's not going to hurt her now. He's too scared of you…he said something about a bargaining chip."

'Well that's good. All the more motivation to win this fight.' Ed thought before they both got ready for the fight.

Ed looked this man up and down, he was definitely bigger than the four biggest men on his ship.

'But that's no reason to be a pessimist.' Ed thought dryly to himself.

'Ok, so I could always knock Heinkel of balance with a big push to the front.'

Ed ran forward and barrelled into Alex with all his might. It was like hitting a stone wall. Ed stumbled back after bouncing off the larger man.

'Ok this man is a lot sturdier than Heinkel. Ok it was always over for Zampano when I got him off his feet.'

Ed again charged Alex and wrapped his arms around his waist in a bear hug. With all his strength Ed strained to try and lift the man and slam him down. He couldn't.

'Why isn't any of this working?!'

Ed looked up as he continued to strain himself and saw Alex with an amused smile on his face. Letting go, he stumbled away from Alex.

"Are you just messing with me?" Ed asked annoyed.

"I just want you to think you're doing well." Alex said, "I hate it when people die feeling sad." With that Alex moved forward, hands outstretched.

'Oh shit.'

Ed ducked under his hands and rolled between the man's feet. Ed stood up to find Alex coming at him again. Jumping back, Ed resolved to stay out of this man's reach until an opportunity presented itself.

"You're quick." Alex observed.

"Good thing too." Ed said as he once again jumped away from the man's grasping hands.

"Why do you wear a mask?" Alex asked, "Are you disfigured or something?" He swung a fist at Ed, who ducked under it. Ed knew if he messed up and the big man got a hold of him, he was a goner.

"No, I just thought it was appropriate for the circumstance and they are rather comfortable." Ed ducked under another swing. 'That one was close.'

He sidestepped a haymaker and then swung his leg into the big man's knee. His kick bounced off its intended target. Hurting Ed more than it hurt Alex.

After several more close calls, Ed saw an opportunity when he jumped away from another swing. Moving under the large man's outstretched arm he kicked backwards off a rock and landed on Alex's back.

'What always beats Darius and Jerso: choking them out.'

He tightened his metal arm around the man's throat and squeezed as hard as he could. Alex grunted at this turn of events and backed up quickly into one of the boulders knocking the wind out of Ed as he grunted loudly. Maintaining his grip, Ed held strong as Alex turned to to ram him into another rock.

"Aww this isn't fair." Alex said as he rammed them into another rock, causing Ed to grunt again. "I'm used to fighting more people."

"What..does that...have to do...with anything!" Ed gasped as Alex tried reaching behind him to grab Ed, who could feel the large man begin to strain.

"Well it's actually easier taking out larger groups...because.." Alex trailed of from apparent lack of oxygen. "Because they are all crowded together and can all be taken out with a single swing."

Alex rammed Ed yet again into the boulder. Ed felt his strength waning. 'Just a little bit longer.'

"And.." Alex gasped out,"When…dealing…with…one...man…It's…different…because…you have…to…think…differently." Alex mumbled those last words as he suddenly, fell to his knees, then onto his face. Ed lay on top of the large man gasping for breath.

"It worked." Ed muttered to himself, "Glad that's over."

Climbing off of Alex, he pushed the large man until he was lying on his back. He could see that Alex was still breathing.

"Well my friend I will not envy you the headache you will have when you wake. So sleep well and dream of large women". Ed chuckled before seeing footprints leading north.

"2 down, 1 to go."

Ed groaned as he got to his feet. His whole body was sore, but he couldn't stop now, not when he was so close.

'Now it's time to meet this Yoki.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Following the trail Ed, ran through the trees. Yoki had come this way, and from the other set of footprints with him, so had Winry. He ducked under a branch as his running increased to full speed. He could feel his tired legs straining.

'Keep going. Don't give up now you lazy bastard! Keep going!'

Running up a hill and around a large boulder embedded in the ground he came to a stop.

At the top of the hill among a few rocks was Winry. She was sitting on the ground gagged and blindfolded. Her arms were behind her back, indicating that they were tied. Ed's eyes shifted to the right where the man that Ed assumed to be Yoki sat. In front of him and Winry was a rock with a tablecloth across it. On the cloth was a bottle of wine some apples and two cups. Yoki was grinning and at the sight of Ed he lifted a knife and held its point against Winry's throat. She flinched when the cold metal touched her skin and Ed had to hold back his anger. Right now Yoki was the one holding all the cards.

Yoki sneered, "So now it is between you and me."

Ed didn't respond and took a few cautious steps towards them. His eyes again drifted to Winry, who was tensing at the feel of a blade against her throat.

'Hold on Winry, I'll figure something out.'

Yoki frowned slightly at Ed's walking. "If you wish her dead, by all means, keep walking forward."

Ed froze, Yoki pushed the knife into Winry's skin. Not enough to draw blood, but to prove a point.

"I was so hoping that Armstrong would follow orders and smash your head in, but it appears I surrounded myself with incompetent fools." Yoki poked her skin, drawing a small bead of blood on her flawless skin.

Keeping his rage in check, Ed put on a fake smile, "Let me explain-"

"There's nothing to explain." Yoki interrupted, "You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen."

"A princess is hardly a thing that a common thief like you could lay claim to." Ed decided to test this man's ego.

"I am no common criminal! And what are you then?" Yoki said angrily, obviously Ed had hit a nerve.

"Someone who you should be very afraid of." Ed responded.

Yoki smirked, "Is that so? Well I suppose you're right, you have bested my swordsman and my giant. Whatever am I to do?" He said in a mocking voice.

"Hand over the Princess and let everybody be friends?" Ed said with a shrug.

Yoki let out a laugh, "I think not. I've been put through too much trouble by you and especially by her to give up now."

"What's the matter? Bitten off more than you can chew?" Ed smirked. "Perhaps there can be an arrangement."

Yoki grabbed Winry's hair and pulled her forward, digging the edge of the blade against her throat, "There will be no arrangement." He spat. Ed could hear Winry's muffled breathing as it came out a bit frantic.

"Hurting her is going to get you nowhere in this situation." Ed narrowed his eyes, as he clenched his fist.

"Threatening me will get YOU nowhere". Yoki countered.

Ed furrowed his brow as he tried to think, suddenly an idea came into his head. "Well if there can be no arrangement then it appears that we are at an impasse." He spoke in a calm voice.

"Yes it would." Yoki said, "I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my superior intelligence."

Ed raised an eyebrow, "Really, you're that smart?"

Yoki grinned, "On yes, you can't even imagine."

'Hmm' Ed thought, 'I can work with this.' Then he spoke, "Well in that case, I challenge you to a battle of wits."

"For the Princess?" Yoki grinned.

Ed nodded.

"To the death?" He asked with glee and interest.

Ed nodded again.

"I accept." He released Winry and took the blade away from her throat, yet still held it close. Winry straightened herself with an annoyed grunt.

Ed took his sword and dropped it on the ground as a show of good faith and moved to sit in front of the set up picnic table. Yoki eyed him suspiciously but felt safe with the distance of the rock in between them. He spoke, "It's funny really. You've been at my heels for the last 12 hours and finally it ends with us eating together."

"Life does have it's little ironies." Ed smirked, "Where did you get this whole picnic set up from?"

"I always carry it with me." Yoki responded.

"To each his own." Ed said then frowned, "Before we start I'd like to know why, why did you kidnap her?"

"So she must mean something to you then." Yoki observed, "I've been trying to guess your reasoning for going through all of this. You fought a swordsman and wrestled a giant, why?"

"I believe I asked you the question." Ed said. As Yoki had been talking Ed had drawn a transmutation circle on the ground, if this man tried to hurt Winry again then he'd get a spike in his head.

"Well when someone rich enough and powerful enough asks you to do something then you really have no other choice." Yoki offered a vague explanation.

"Greed does always seem to be the weak man's excuse." Ed drawled, then he reached into his pocket and removed a vial. Removing the top he handed it to Yoki, "Here sniff, but do not touch." Yoki took it and did so, before handing it back, "I smell nothing."

"It's iocane", Ed grinned, "You can't smell it, see it, or even taste it. Which makes it one of the deadlier poisons I've came across. Now pour the wine."

Yoki took the wine bottle and poured it into the two cups. Ed took the cups and turned around to hide them from Yoki's sight. After placing the poison where he wanted it he placed the two cups on the table. One in front of him and one in front of Yoki and sat back.

"Alright where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun." Ed said. "It ends when you pick and we drink. After that we see who is right...and who is dead."

"Interesting," Yoki started talking, "Now before I choose, I have to consider what I know about you. Would you be the kind of man who'd put the poison in his own goblet or in the one across from him?"

Ed shrugged.

"Let's take a look. Now if you win this you live and get the Princess. If you lose then you die and I keep the Princess. So what would you do to ensure your survival." Yoki said more to himself.

'Well shit, this is going to take a while.' Ed thought suddenly.

"Any sane man would put the cup as far away from him as possible so I can obviously not pick the cup in front of me. But a clever man would realize that is too obvious, so I can not drink the goblet in front of you. Now are you sane or are you clever?"

"That's up for you to decide." Ed said.

"From what I've seen today: climbing a cliff, fighting an expert swordsman; and wrestling a giant. You may not be very sane or you may simply just be brave. But does your bravery overcome your intelligence? That is the question that has to be answered. You may be brave enough to put the poison in your own cup in hopes that I would pick that one. So clearly, I cannot pick the wine in front of you." Yoki said with a triumphant smirk.

'He's just contradicting himself?' Ed thought miserably.

"Now if I remember correctly, this poison takes its origins from Aerugo. Now Aerugo was founded as a prison island about seven hundred years ago, so it is entirely populated by descendants criminals and criminals such as you don't trust anyone! Just as you are not trusted by me so clearly I can not pick the wine in front of me". Yoki said in a single breath.

'What does that even mean?' Ed thought.

"Do you have a decision?" Ed asked greatly annoyed.

"But you might have known that I could have guessed the poisons origins and counted on it. So I can clearly not-"

At this point Ed stopped listening to him and his eyes again drifted to Winry, who hadn't moved since Yoki started his mad speech. She looked completely helpless at the moment, hands bound behind her back, mouth and eyes covered. It pained him to see her tied up in such a state. Her red dress was tattered and torn, her beautiful hair in disarray. He had to squint to see it, but on her left cheek there was a bruise. 'That bastard!' Ed glared at Yoki, 'He hit her!'

He looked back at Winry, 'Just a few more moments and it'll all be over, just hold on.'

This whole time Ed had been so focused on getting to Winry that he hadn't thought about what he was going to do with her once he had her. Was he going to take her with him? Let her go? Or give her back to her damn fiancé?

'I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Ed didn't know how he was going to act when it was just them. Would he pull her into a bone crushing hug or wring her throat for betraying him. He wasn't going to be sure until he confronted her. He looked back at Yoki.

"-counted on the fact that turtles mate in the sun, so clearly I cannot pick the cup in front of you."

"Enough." Ed said, "Pick now."

"Very well then." Yoki grinned, then he looked to the side and his grin widened. "Alphonse now!"

'What?' Ed looked behind him, confused. There was nothing behind him. He turned back to see Yoki smiling smugly. "Made you look." He smirked.

"Very funny." Ed drawled, "Shall we drink?"

"Yes we shall." Yoki picked up his cup, "Me from my glass and you from yours."

They both picked up their goblets and held them to their lips. Yoki was looking at Ed, waiting for him to drink first. Glaring back, Ed took a sip from his cup, which prompted a smirking Yoki to drink from his.

Ed placed his cup down and smirked, "You lose."

Yoki broke out in loud laughter, "You'd think so wouldn't you? I switched the glasses when you weren't looking, you fool. I knew if I wasted enough time rambling on about nothing that you'd give away the location of the poison and you did!"

Yoki picked up his knife and held the flat of it against Winry's cheek, causing her to give a muffled gasp and freeze. Ed started to go for the circle but stopped himself, it would only take a few more seconds.

"Before you die maybe I'll let you watch the Princess that you fought so hard for bleed out like a slaughtered pig!"

Yoki laughed again as he pulled the knife back to stab Winry, who fell on her side with a muffled cry, trying get away from him. Suddenly Yoki's triumphant laughter died in his throat as his eyes bulged and his breath came out in ragged gasps. Ed calmly look the knife out of Yoki's hand as the man's face turned red from the effects of the poison and his veins pushed out. Ed grabbed Yoki's collar and pulled him in to whisper in his ear.

"Wrong."

A trail of blood came out of Yoki's nose as he gave his last gasps and fell to the side. He was dead.

Glancing briefly at the dead man to his side, Ed focused his attention on Winry. She was still laying on her side, breathing frantically. Shifting over he stopped when he was right next to her. She must of heard him moving because she froze and Ed could see her trembling slightly.

'She's safe; she's safe now.' Ed thought, feeling relief course through him and he relaxed. As relief washed away the feelings of worry and anxiety, it gave way to another: anger.

The feeling that had been gnawing at him all day, leading to moments of doubt and second thoughts. He wasn't just angry, he was furious! She had been his everything and she'd forsaken him. He growled as he clenched his fists, he wasn't going to go easy on her.

Checking his grey contacts to make sure they were obscuring his golden eyes and his mask to make sure none of his hair was showing.

'Everything in check...now the moment of truth.'

Slowly his hand moved out, reaching towards the woman who had stolen his heart; then smashed it into a million pieces.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **So close yet so far. The long awaited reunion is coming next chapter. You've been so patient this far, just a little while longer.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: I just want to clear some things up. Edward doesn't know his father or Al's name. He is just aware that he has a father and brother somewhere who have the same hair and eye color as him. Al on the other hand knows that his brother's name is Edward Elric.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

His metal hand grazed over her skin as it moved down her face towards the gag in her mouth causing her to flinch. He ignored the familiar feelings that this action brought back. He'd done this a hundred times before; whether it was brushing her shining hair behind her ear, or stroking her soft face as he gazed lovingly into her eyes. Now his face was set in a grim stare as he yanked the cloth out of her mouth. She coughed when the fabric was so roughly removed and worked the soreness out of her jaw. Ed stood up to his full height and looked down at her with his coat blowing slightly in the wind. He stared down at her for several moments before turning around. He walked to where he had dropped his sword and picked it up. His eyes were on her as he slid it into its sheath. Winry flinched at the sound of metall scrapping against metal. From where he was standing he could see the wheels turning in her head and she was biting her lip, unsure of what to say. She was scared and he didn't blame her. She was helpless; at the mercy of one guy who wanted to kill her one minute ago and now at the mercy of a complete stranger.

Ed shook his head. Truly, she had nothing to fear from him, but she didn't need to know that...not yet.

Stepping back over to her Ed looked down, 'Time to get this going.' Moving down to one knee, he grasped Winry by her shoulders and sat her up. Finally she spoke.

"Who are you?" She demanded in a firm yet shaky voice.

Hearing her talk to him almost made him flub his accent, but he kept it going. "Someone not to be trifled with." He said in his Xingese accent.

Standing them both up Ed's hands moved to the cloth that was blindfolding her. He paused, readying himself for the emotions that this action would cause him.

Moving his hands behind her head he slowly began to undo the knot that was keeping her blind. He purposely dragged this out as he could see his slow movements were stressing her out. Eventually the knot became undone and he removed the cloth from her face. Her eyes were closed and she blinked them open, allowing them to adjust to the light. After a few moments her uncertain gaze met his.

He had prepared for this in advance, steeling himself for the unknown reaction this could provoke. When his eyes met hers, it didn't hit him like he had expected them to. Her familiar blue orbs didn't have the spirit that they used to. They were duller now, less lively. It was a look that he'd never seen on her before and with it came a sense of nonrecognition. She was as beautiful as ever, but she wasn't the same Winry that he'd said goodbye to so long ago. She was different and so was he.

They were strangers.

His disguise seemed to work as he saw no recognition in her eyes, only trepidation. She tried hiding it under a brave face, but she was easy to read. Especially to him.

She broke her gaze away from him and looked over at Yoki's body. She let out a quiet gasp at the sight of it. Ed glanced at the corpse as well and agreed that it was a revolting sight, even though he'd seen worse. Iocane was a very brutal poison that devastated the body and continued to ravish it long after death. It was a death that Ed reserved for few people. Yoki's skin was currently peeling off his face as he lay in a puddle of his blood.

'Good riddance.' Ed thought then looked back at Winry, who was still staring at the corpse in shock.

'She's never seen a dead body before.' Ed realized in his head and felt a small pang of guilt for doing this in front of her. He forgot how different their lives had been since they last met. She hadn't seen the things that he'd seen. Putting a hand on her shoulder, Ed turned her in the direction of the path.

"Come." He commanded.

Winry looked back at him and after a moment's hesitation complied. It was a few moments before she spoke up again, "Funny, how after all of that, you put the poison in your own cup." Her voice was quiet, yet not as shaky as it had been earlier.

"They were both poisoned." Ed said not looking at her.

"Then how..?" Winry said confused.

"I've been building up an immunity to several of the world's deadliest poisons for a while now, iocane included."

Winry frowned slightly, "Then it really wasn't a battle of wits was it?"

"Will you weep for the man who planned to kill you?" Ed snapped mockingly down at her. At that moment he just realized how much much taller than her he'd become. 'Wow, I must have grown much more than I thought.' He was shaken from his thoughts by Winry's response.

"No." She growled glaring right back up at him. "But that shows me what kind of man you are."

"And what kind of man am I?" Ed stopped to glare at her.

"A liar." Winry said defiantly.

'Grateful much?' Ed drawled in his head. Well to be fair, he hadn't untied her hands yet, so she was still being held captive technically. Then he responded.

"You'd know a lot about that wouldn't you." Ed smirked humorlessly.

Winry blinked in confusion before she got angry. "Ok, I don't know who you are, but at least tell me what you're going to do to me."

"Now why should I do that?" Ed mocked, "I'm the one holding all the cards and the swords." Ed pulled his sword out slightly before sliding it back in. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Winry glared up at him, "Because I asked. I think I have a right to know if I should be expecting to die soon. So I ask again, what are you going to do with me?"

"I don't know." Ed said, "I haven't decided yet."

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her along with him at a fast pace. She was caught off guard and stumbled her way after him. He didn't enjoy being cruel to her. He didn't find any enjoyment from taunting her. In fact every insult he threw at her stung him as well. But he couldn't help it; his anger was too great. His anger at her, at the Prince, at himself for ever leaving.

He had to keep moving, the Prince's men weren't very far behind them and this couldn't be interrupted.

'I've waited too long.' He thought.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

King Bradley looked down the side of the peculiarly named Cliffs of Insanity. It had taken nearly all day to scale the cliffs,thanks to the horses, and get to this spot. Forty loyal soldiers had accompanied himself and the Prince to find the Princess. Personally he didn't feel that this many troops would have been necessary, but the Prince insisted.

'Anything for his bride.' He thought dryly to himself.

Turning around, he watched as the Prince carefully stepped over the rocky terrain.

"It looks like there was a great duel here." The Prince said aloud. He followed the footprints in the dirt, mimicking the actions of the ones fighting. "It went all around." The Prince waved his hand over the area until it stopped on an empty spot of dirt. Getting closer, the Prince squinted at the spot. "It ended here." He stood up. "The loser lives. His footprints lead off into the west. The winner.." The Prince pointed his hand to his left, "Went to the east."

"Shall I send scouts to pursue the loser?" Bradley asked.

"No." The Prince said as he moved to mount his horse. "The loser is of no concern now, the winner will take us to where the Princess is." He looked at the the forty men. "Be ready men. If Creta has indeed taken the Princess then we will have to fight to get her back."

The men all nodded and readied their horses for moving. The Prince had a smirk on his face, but it disappeared after a cold glare from Bradley.

"We don't want to be too obvious, do we?" The one-eyed man whispered.

"No we don't." The Prince said, before setting his face into a look of determination.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Will you stop dragging me!" Winry yelled at the man in front of her. Walking with your hands tied behind your back was hard enough, but being dragged was downright abuse. Besides that, her already bruised arms were throbbing from where this man had grabbed her. His grip was so hard it was like his hands were made of metal.

"Tired your highness?" The accented man in black called back. His voice mocking her struggle.

"At least untie me." Winry grumbled.

"Why?" The man stopped to turn around. "Does the rough rope ache thy royal wrists?" He turned around and resumed dragging her.

Winry yanked her shoulder out of his grip and took a few steps back. "Why do you keep taunting me? What have I ever done to you?" His lifeless eyes glared at her, yet he made no move to grab her again.

"Nothing personally." The man growled. "More so through reputation."

"What does that mean?" Winry demanded.

"You wouldn't understand." The man reached to grab her arm again.

"No!" She shouted, taking some more steps back, "I'm not going another step forward until you untie me."

"Give me a reason." The man crossed his arms, his cold eyes unchanging.

"I promise not to run." She said, "And I won't try anything."

"I don't know." the man said, putting his gloved hand thoughtfully on his chin. "Yoki did say you gave him a lot of trouble. Why should you be any more compliant for me?"

"What could I do to you?" Winry said exasperated, "You defeated both Alphonse and Alex physically, and you outsmarted Yoki. What threat could I pose to you?" She looked up and down his imposing figure.

"Alphonse and Alex, you say? Sounds like you'd bonded with your captors." The man sneered with subtle anger.

"They were...nice to me when they didn't have to be." Winry's eyes suddenly widened, "What did you do to them?"

"Why so curious?" The man said.

"Did you kill them?" Winry demanded.

The man was silent for a moment before he spoke, "Yes."

Winry gasped, her face paling. "You-you killed them?"

The man nodded, those horrible eyes never leaving her.

"But, back when Yoki switched the cups, it sounded like you were expecting Alphonse to be there."

The man shrugged, "Sometimes people don't die the first time I kill them. It has happened before."

"Why?" Winry asked.

"Well when people try to kill me, I usually defend myself." He shrugged again.

"They didn't deserve to die." Winry glared, "They were good people."

"Bad things happen to good people all the time." The man said, "That's how the world works, Princess, anyone who says differently is a fool."

"Did you have to kill them?" Winry asked, her voice coming out quietly.

"No, I didn't." The man replied.

"Then why did you?" Winry's voice cracked slightly, "Why couldn't you just let them live."

"Because that's not how I handle my affairs."

"You're a monster." Winry hissed.

"You know." The man said, "If you want me to untie you, insulting me will get you nowhere."

Winry went silent then looked at the ground in anger. Looking up she said, "Please untie me."

The man smirked, "Well since you said please." The man took Yoki's knife out of his belt and motioned for her to turn around. Winry did so, eyeing him suspiciously. He grabbed her wrists and with a single slice of the knife, she was free. Rubbing her wrists, she turned around to look at him. He put the dagger back into his belt.

"Ready to keep doing?" He crossed his arms.

"Please, just let me go." Winry said, "Whatever you want. The Prince will give it to you."

"Is that a promise?" The man sneered.

"I was giving you a chance, The Prince is coming for me and he will find you. Selim can hunt a hawk on a cloudy day."

'Or so he boasts.' Winry inwardly rolled her eyes.

Looking at the man, she went quiet because she was finally able to see an emotion in his grey eyes, pure rage. It seems as if her statement about Selim had really pissed him off.

"Oh so you think your dearly beloved will come to rescue you?" The man said darkly taking several menacing steps toward her.

Winry nervously stepped back, but felt her blood boil at his assumption, "I never said he was my true love."

"Oh so you are incapable of love then? Or are you simply leading this poor Prince on." The man raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up!" Winry shouted, "Shut up! Why do you keep mocking me?"

"I just speak the truth, your Highness." The man said with a grin.

Winry inhaled and closed her eyes to keep the angry tears from falling, looking up she glared at the man. "I know who you are!"

"Do you?" The man said amused, "Tell me."

"The Xingese accent; the black clothes; grey eyes; and your cruelty give you away. You can only be one person." Winry looked him directly in the eye. "You're the pirate Greed aren't you?"

The man smiled, then began to clap his hands slowly in mock congratulations. "You certainly are observant."

Winry felt pure rage boil inside of her. This was him, this was the man who'd ruined her life. If it wasn't for this man then she would never have been thrown into that hell with Selim. If it wasn't for him then Ed would be alive.

"You...you monster." She hissed.

"It appears my reputation precedes me." Greed smirked.

"Do you know what you've done to my life?" Winry kept her voice steady despite her rage. "Do you know what you've done to me?"

"Tell me." He said, opening his arms invitingly.

Winry had often thought of what she'd say to Greed if she ever met him. Now it was time to let it out.

"Coming close on two years ago I said goodbye to a young man named Edward Elric. I was in love with this man, he was the kindest, most caring person I've ever known. He left to help me and my grandmother keep our home...and...he was going to get money so the two of us could get married."

Greed stood there with an unreadable look on his face as he listened to her. If she looked close enough, she could swear that he looked almost sad.

'Impossible', She thought to herself. 'This man can't possibly feel sadness for another human being.' She then continued speaking.

"He joined the crew of a trading ship called the Xerxes. One day I got a letter telling me that his ship had been attacked, with no survivors." Her voice got thicker with rage, "His ship was attacked by you!"

"Describe this lover of yours. I may remember him." Greed said, Winry did notice a slight tremble in his voice but ignored it.

"He had long golden hair. His eyes were richer than any gold that could be found in a vault. They were unique and beautiful. He was short, but he made up for it with his temper. He was kind, caring, and brave. He was the single most wonderful man I have ever or will ever meet. And you murdered him!" Winry practically shouted.

"I remember him." Greed said after a long pause, "Before he died he told me about you. He spoke of your great beauty and your kindness. He begged me to let him live only so he could return to you." When he finished he looked away from her.

"But that wasn't good enough for you was it?" Winry accused, "At least tell me you had the balls to look him in the eyes when you killed him."

She let out a shaky breath, all the rage of the last few months boiling together. She figured that Greed might as well know what his actions had led to.

"I died that day. I wanted to waste away until there was nothing left of me, because only then could I be with Edward again. I made a vow that day to never love again. And then...then...that bastard came."

"Bastard?" Greed, asked confused. His head whipping around to look at her.

"All I did was fix his wagon. I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask for any of it. But then he came back!" It all started to pour out of her. "He came back and he took me with him."

"The Prince?" Greed said, a look of fury reforming on his face.

"I had to go with him, I had to. He gave me no other choice. He was going to kill my grandmother." Winry said, wanting this man to know how bad her life had become.

"What!" Greed's face showed shock.

"I don't love him. I hate him!" Winry spat, "I could never love such a evil, manipulative, cowardly, perverted bastard. But I'm doomed to be his bride and do you know why? Because of you!" Winry advanced towards Greed pointing an accusatory finger at him. Greed backed up, staring at her with wide eyes.

"If you hadn't killed Edward then he would have come home. He would have been the one who would have gone out to fix the Prince's wagon and I would never have met him. We would be happy together, we would be married!" Winry's voice was increasing until she was full blown shouting. "I'D BE WITH THE MAN I LOVED AND STILL LOVE, AND EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT! BUT NO! YOU RUINED IT! YOU RUINED MY LIFE! AND NOW YOU TAUNT ME WHEN I AM BEING FORCED INTO MARRYING ANOTHER MAN EVEN THOUGH THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Winry's breaths came out in deep ragged breaths and her face was bright red as she poured all of her hatred into her voice and glare. Suddenly her shouting stopped and her face softened as her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed was still reeling from the bombshell that Winry had just dropped on him to notice her fainting. He had been wrong, he had been so wrong.

"Oh God." He muttered to himself.

His anger towards her completely evaporated and his anger towards himself only intensified. 'How could I have been so wrong about her? She's being forced to marry another man! And that bastard's using Pinako as a hostage!' This made his resentment for the Prince burn into pure and unadulterated rage.

'That son of a bitch! THAT SON OF A BITCH!'

Breaking out of his thoughts he gasped when he saw Winry sprawled out on the ground.

"Winry!" He cried, his accent breaking.

He was by her side the next second, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Winry?" He said again in his normal voice.

Suddenly Winry lashed out and he felt a sharp blow to the left side of his face. Rolling with it, he jumped up to see a furious Winry coming at him with a rock in her hand.

"Winry it's me!" He called, but she didn't seem to hear him as she kept coming forward.

"DIE YOU BASTARD!" She swung the rock again and struck Ed across the face, knocking him on his back. Dazed and in pain, Ed looked up to see Winry coming down at him with the rock again. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Winry listen to me!" Ed shouted.

Winry had angry tears streaming down her face as she struggled to free her wrist.

'She's hysterical,' Ed thought, 'Damn it, I pushed her too far.'

Winry dropped the rock and yanked her arm out of his grip. Seeing an opportunity she brought her foot back and kicked him as hard as she could between the legs. Ed let out a painful whimper as he involuntarily curled into a fetal position. As he did this Winry spotted Yoki's knife on his belt. Diving for it she grasped the blade and pulled it out.

Holding the knife in both hands she raised it above her head and prepared to stab him. Rolling to the side, Ed quickly dodged the blade and stood up.

"Listen to me, damn it! I'm Ed!" He cried desperately. This situation had certainly gotten out of hand.

"DIE!" Winry came at him again and he moved fast. As he side stepped the blade he grabbed her wrists with one hand and and moved so that her back was against his chest. Grabbing her wrists in both hands, he held her still, while whispering in her ear,

"It's me Winry. It's Ed."

Winry began thrashing and kicking, trying to get the knife free. Doing his best not to hurt her, Ed kicked her legs out from under her and pinned her face down on the ground. He used his larger body to prevent her from moving. Being as gentle as possible, he pinned her wrists above her head, while he straddled her back. Talking to her wasn't working, so he took off his mask, revealing his still long, golden hair. He started with his grey contacts when Winry stopped struggling under him.

"Just...just...kill me already...stop tormenting me and just get it over with."

She sounded so miserable and defeated. Ed's heart squeezed violently as he removed the last of his disguise showing off the face of the Edward Elric that Winry knew. Taking the knife from her grip and throwing it away, he carefully turned Winry onto her back. He kept her hands restrained just in case she tried struggling again.

At first she glare and then her expression slowly changed. Her eyes went wide and her face paled at the sight of him. Her mouth hung open in shock as her breaths came out shakily. He brought his flesh hand down to cup her face. "It's me Winry. It's Ed."

Winry shook her head in denial and disbelief. "No..no you're dead, you're dead." She whimpered, "You can't be him."

"It's me, it's me." Ed said gently as he stroked her soft cheek. "I'm alive, sweetheart." Ed released her wrists and brought his other hand down to cup her other cheek. "I'm alive."

Winry slowly brought her hands down to touch his face, as if to make sure he was real. She ran her hands over his pointed features and through his golden hair. Her eyes gazed into his golden ones and once again filled with tears.

"Oh Edward." She whimpered.

Ed lowered his head and pressed his lips gently against Winry's. His kiss was slow, yet desperate. It'd been so long since he'd felt her soft lips against his. Slowly Winry returned the kiss as she wrapped her arms desperately around him. The tears continued to fall as they kissed and not all of them were Winry's. Ed had wanted this for so long that he couldn't control his emotions. After an uncertain amount of time passed, they broke the kiss. Ed stood them up, helping Winry to her feet.

He gave her a small smile, one which she returned before she frowned. Ed was just about to ask what was wrong when Winry sucker punched him. This caught him off guard and he was once again knocked to the ground.

"Damn it Winry. What was that?" Ed rubbed the third sore spot on his chin as he sat up.

"Where the hell have you been?" Winry yelled angrily.

Ed felt another pang of guilt. "It's a long story, I wouldn't even have been able to contact you until about a couple months ago. I did try sending a letter but I never knew what to say. After that it took weeks for me to even get here and by then you were...you know."

Winry's face softened a little. "What happened to you?" She asked softly.

Ed stood up and looked down at Winry, "As I said, it's a long story."

There was a moment of silence where the two of them stared at each other.

"You got tall." Winry observed. He must have grown more than half a foot. He looked to be about 6 ft.

"I know." Ed grinned, "Really late growth spurt, I guess." He pointed a hand at Winry's slightly messed up hair. "I like the braid."

"Oh this." She took in her hand, "I like it too. May made it for me."

"May?" Ed asked.

"My chambermaid and my friend." Winry said, "She's made living with Selim better."

Ed frowned when she said his name, his face becoming darker. "Tell me about Selim."

Winry paled slightly and looked at her feet. 'I don't want him to know.' She thought, 'He can't know about all that happened.'

"Winry?" She looked up to see Ed with a serious look on his face. "Tell me about Selim."

Winry twisted her dress nervously between her fingers, "You won't like it."

"Please Winry." Ed took her hands in his. "Tell me."

Winry bit her lip and looked down again. Ed glanced down to her arms sticking out of her sleeves and narrowed his eyes. Pulling her arm up, he pushed back her sleeve and his breath caught in his throat. Her smooth arm was littered with dark ugly bruises. Horror filled him as he took her other arm and saw that one similarly littered. Looking at Winry's face he saw she was avoiding his gaze.

"Winry…" Ed was at a lost for words before he pulled himself together.

"How many more bruises do you have?" He asked gently.

Winry was silent and just hugged Ed closer to her.

"Everywhere." Winry mumbled eventually, "Except my face, Selim likes it when I look pretty."

Ed held back the flames of rage that were combusting inside of him as he pulled Winry further into his arms.

"He beat you?" Ed said through clenched teeth, it was more of a statement then a question.

"No, not personally." Winry mumbled into his chest. "He had a guard named Basque Grand beat me with a riding crop."

Ed let out a pained sigh and pulled back to look at her beautiful face. "I'm so sorry Winry. I never should have left."

"How could you have known?" Winry shrugged half heartedly.

"Did..did he do anything else to you?" Ed asked with a nervous tone.

Winry shook her head, "Nothing too bad, though he did make me kiss him every night. Recently he's been getting more 'intimate."

'He's molested her? That fucking bastard is dead!' Ed growled.

"Other than that you're ok?" Ed asked, trying to keep his rage under control.

"Yes." Winry laid her head against Ed's chest.

"I'm so sorry Winry." Ed whispered into her hair. Looking up he saw movement in the horizon. Squinting he saw that it was men on horseback.

"Shit!"

"What?" Winry looked up at him.

"Selim." Ed pointed to the distant horsemen.

"Oh god no." Winry whispered fearfully.

"Hurry, we need to go." Ed took her hand and pulled her with him.

"Where are we going?" Winry called as they broke out in a run.

"Away from here." Ed yelled back.

They continued to run over hills and down paths. Ed would occasionally look over his shoulder to see the distant men coming towards them.

'Shit, they're gaining:' He looked back at Winry who was beginning to panic.

'She is not going back to him!' He swore to himself.

Looking ahead of him he saw a forest.

'Horses have trouble in the woods.' He grinned. "Follow me."

They ran in the direction of the forest, as they got closer it looked less like a forest and more like a swamp.

"Wait!" He heard Winry behind him. "That's the Fire Swamp!"

"The what?"

"The Fire Swamp!" Winry shouted.

"Oh yeah, I've heard of it." Ed said, "Let's check it out."

"But.."

"It's either the swamp or Selim. What would you rather? I can't beat all of his men by myself."

Winry was silent for a moment, "Let's go for it."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Ok I think that's far enough. Let's stop for a breather." Ed looked around to survey their surroundings.

'Big mossy trees, long mossy vines, and guess what more mossy trees.' Looking up Ed couldn't even see the sky. The trees were huge with long crooked roots that sprang all over the place. There was a slight ominous fog that rested just above the ground.

Winry sat down on a fallen tree, looking around herself. "We're never going to survive this place."

"Nonsense." Ed smirked at her. "You're only saying that because nobody ever has."

Winry frowned, then picked up a rock and threw it at Ed, who easily dodged it.

"At least we're safe from Selim." Ed sat down next to Winry. He nudged her knee with his own, "I think the two of us can handle this place."

A strange and loud cry of some creature came from behind them. They both turned, but saw nothing.

"Well that's reassuring." Winry drawled as she shifted closer to Ed.

"Nah, I'm sure whatever that is it's more afraid of us then we are of it." Ed said.

The loud sounds of a tree creaking and breaking was heard throughout the swamp.

"Well this place definitely is loud." Ed smirked.

"Ed?" Winry asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" Ed looked at her.

"Did...did you really kill Al and Alex?"

"No" Ed shook his head, "I was lying to keep the act up."

"Why did you even do an act?" Winry asked. "Why didn't you just let me know it was you?"

Ed sighed, "I was angry...and I had to be sure first." Looking her right in the eye he spoke, "I did not kill them."

"I want to believe you. But.." Winry trailed off and looked at her feet. Ed moved in front of her and took Winry's hands in his own.

"Winry I swear to you, I did not kill them." He pleaded looking into her eyes.

Winry was silent for a moment before she spoke, "What did you do to them?"

"Knocked them out." Ed smiled, relieved that she believed him.

"Why didn't you kill them?" Winry pressed him. "As you said earlier, they were trying to kill you."

"I could tell they were kind to you." Ed responded, "They both seemed to have been unaware of Yoki's true intentions."

"They were." Winry confirmed.

"I'm not a murderer." Ed said, "You were right when you said they didn't deserve to die."

"But if you're Greed, aren't you supposed to not take prisoners?" Winry questioned.

"Well you can't really take any prisoners when the crew of a ship abandons it and leaves it behind." Ed grinned, "Greed's reputation is very well known...but sometimes people stay with the ship and it gets messy." His grin faltered at the end.

"Oh." Winry said quietly, "Do you attack ships at random."

"No," Ed said, "After my experience I tended to stay away from merchant ships. I find slaver ships to be the most profitable."

"Slaver ships?"

"The Drachman slave trade." Ed answered, "The slaves, we either let go or offer them a place on the crew. For anyone who dies, it's not personal, it's just business."

Winry nodded, "What was it when you killed Yoki? Business or personal?"

"Personal." Ed responded.

"I don't know if I should be touched or scared." Winry said.

Ed sighed, "Winry, I'm still the same person who you knew two years ago."

"Are you?" Winry said nervously.

"Yes!" Ed insisted.

"How could you be? Ed, you-you've killed people! You've changed."

It was true, Ed knew that but the accusation he heard in her voice worried him. "Do you think I'm some kind of murderer?" He asked as he stood back up. "No better than Selim?"

"No! You are nothing like that monster. It's just...a lot to take in." She said exasperated. "You've been alive this whole time and now you're the pirate who I thought killed you. The pirate who I've hated for taking you away from me. And also you're tall and can beat a giant in a fight. It's just..weird Ed. It's all so fucking weird."

"I know." Ed said, "None of this turned out like I thought it would. Both of us have changed. But no matter how you may be different from the last time I saw you, I will still love you with all my heart."

Winry gave Ed a small smile and squeezed his hand. "I love you too Ed. With all of my heart."

Ed leaned forward and hugged Winry tightly. He sighed contently, enjoying her familiar scent filling his nostrils and the feeling of her in his arms. "I missed you." He whispered into her ear.

"I missed you too." Winry said, then pulled away. "Now can you tell me what happened?"

Ed opened his mouth to speak, but then the the sounds of popping filled the air. They both looked around in confusion before a sprout of fire erupted about two feet away from them. Unfortunately, it was close enough for Winry's dress to catch fire. Winry let out a shriek as the helm of her dress started to burn. Ed immediately grabbed a handful of soil and patted the fire out. Looking up, he smiled. "Well that was interesting." He grew serious, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it's just the dress." Winry replied. The two of them stood up.

Suddenly the popping sounds were heard again and Ed looked down to see Winry standing above a small hole in the ground. Quickly grasping her waist, he lifted her and placed her a safe distance away as fire erupted from where she had just been standing.

Ed and Winry were silent as they waited for any more popping sounds. It was silent.

"Well now we see why the Fire Swamp is named so, let's continue." Ed led them forward.

They heard distant popping and a fire sprout about 20 feet away erupted.

"How does it do that?" Winry asked.

"Gases building up beneath the ground igniting and coming out volatile." Ed answered.

"Well anyway, before I burst into flames I asked you a question."

"I know." Ed said quietly, "And I'm going to tell you ok?"

Ed took Winry's hand in his and calmly they began to walk through the swamp.

"I guess just start at the beginning." Winry looked up at him.

"Well, the Xerxes was off the coast of Xing when someone first spotted Greed's ship. We couldn't outrun him so most of the crew jumped into lifeboats to escape. Greed usually only goes after the ship."

"So that's where the stories come from:" Winry observed.

"They filled up before I could get on one so me and a few others were left behind to face Greed alone. The fight didn't last long, Greed has very effective crew members. By the end of it I was the only man still alive so his crew began debating about what they should do to me."

Winry listened silently.

"Then Greed himself comes up to me and asks me if I had any reason to stay alive. So I told him about you." Ed gave Winry's hand a squeeze. "You were the only thing I could think about. Surprisingly enough, hearing about you interested him. So he took me into his cabin and let me tell him the entire story. Well I guess Greed was a sucker for a good romance story, because he offered me a job as his cabin boy. I accepted the job offer and with that I was a member of Greed's crew. During this time is when I learned how to fight, deceive, and pretty much anything else I could learn. Here look at this."

Ed let go of her hand and got on his knees. taking out the chalk he drew a transmutation circle on a piece of bark. Placing a piece of wood on it, he brought his hand down on the ground causing bright sparks to fill the air. Winry's eyes widened as Ed stood up and handed her a piece of wood in the shape of a horse.

"How did you do that?" Winry examined the nicely made horse in her hand.

"That would be alchemy, my dear." Ed grinned. "It's the science of deconstructing and reconstructing matter. I use things called transmutation circles to manipulate matter, like this block of wood. It follows a law called Equivalent Exchange, that means I can only change this block of wood into something of equal mass."

"Where did you learn this?" Winry asked amazed.

"Ling had an alchemist on board, the guy also knew something called Alkahestry but I never understood it. I guess its the Xingese version of Alchemy."

"What are other things that you can do with alchemy?" Winry asked.

"Many things." Ed said, "But lets get back to the story. Where was I?"

"You were Greed's cabin boy." Winry told him.

"Oh yeah, every night he'd wish me goodnight and tell me he'd probably kill me in the morning. But he never did. Eventually he stopped saying it all together."

"But why are you pretending to be Greed?" Winry asked.

"I'm getting to that." Ed said. "So about a year later Greed takes me into his cabin and tells me something. He says 'I am not Greed, my name is Ling. The real Greed owns a nightclub in Dublith.' You see Winry, when the first Greed got tired of being a pirate he passed his identity onto his cabin boy Ling, who he had been grooming to replace him. And Ling, I called him GreedLing after this, had been doing the same with me. He said that as long as you went by the name Greed, everybody would fear you. So shortly after that I became Greed. The first thing I did was to get as quickly to you as possible. There were some interesting events along the way. The day I arrived in Amestris, was the day of your first public appearance."

"I saw you." Winry said, "You were standing in the crowd."

"And I saw you." Ed looked sad, "I'm so sorry I doubted you Winry. I should have given you a chance but instead I condemned you on the spot." He brought his hand up to cup her face lovingly.

"You didn't know." Winry shook her head. "You found me betrothed to another man and whenever you saw me in public I was putting on a mask. To you it looked real." She placed her own hand on top of his.

"I should have known." Ed said.

"Stop it." Winry said, "Don't blame yourself for everything."

Ed shrugged sadly and they continued on in silence. As they walked Winry glanced over at Ed, she noticed that one of his hands was gloved while the other wasn't. Suddenly Winry remembered his hard, steel-like grip from earlier.

"Ed?" She asked hesitantly as she stopped walking completely. "What's wrong with your right hand?"

Ed stopped walking and sighed, he knew he'd have to tell her eventually. Turning around to look at her, he said. "Okay, I may not be entirely the same as when I left."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, uh, what are some of the legends that you've heard about Greed?" Ed asked.

"He cuts out the hearts of his victims and eats them raw."

"What?" Ed looked offended. "No! Where'd you hear that one?"

"If you think that's bad then you probably don't want to hear about the rumor that you're Lucifer's lover." Winry smirked.

"Besides all of those, is here anything else that you've heard?" An irritated Ed asked.

Winry thought for a moment. "They say you have limbs made out of…" Winry trailed off as her eyes fell to Ed's right arm.

Ed pulled off his glove revealing an almost perfect metal hand. He then rolled up the sleeve showing that his entire arm was made out of metal.

He looked at Winry with slight concern as she stared at the metal appendage with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Winry?"

"What...happened?" She asked softly.

"It's called automail." Ed informed her. "They're metal replacements for lost limbs."

"I can see that." Winry said, she swallowed before speaking. Tears were once again threatening to form in her eyes. "But what happened to your original arm?"

"I..lost it." Ed said.

"Lost it?" Winry said incredulously, "How do you lose an arm?"

"You'd be surprised." Ed grinned, trying to lighten the mood. Winry did not appreciate it, her face turning into a glare.

"Um, uh." Ed rubbed the back of his head. "It was when we encountered another ship, another pirate ship. Now the guys on this ship had done some pretty terrible things, so I didn't feel any sorrow for attacking them. Ling was a great fighter but sometimes someone lands a lucky hit. I saw this lucky hit coming and I moved to block it. I ended up messing my arm up really badly. We took the ship, but there wasn't anything anyone could do for my arm."

"You lost your arm saving Greed?" Winry said.

"He spared my life Winry." Ed said. "Besides he was my friend so I saved his life. An arm is an easy trade for a person's life."

Winry nodded, "So where did..." She pointed to the metal arm. "..this come from?"

"There's a guy named Neil on the crew. He's an automail engineer. He comes from a place called Rush Valley. It's a town on an island up north. The way automail works is that there's a port inserted to where the limb used to be then they make a limb out of metal and they insert it into the port. Somehow this port connects to your nerves so the metal arm ends up acting like a normal arm."

"That's..that's crazy." Winry said.

"I know." Ed said. "I didn't believe Neil when he first told me about it. But it works, look." Ed moved his arm up and down and flexed his fingers.

Winry ran a hand over the cool metal. "I wonder how it works." She said to herself.

"I'm sure Neil could tell teach you." Ed said, with a grin. "You always were great with bolts and other things like that, I'm sure you'd be a great mechanic."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

They'd been walking for hours. Ed had figured out how the fire sprouts worked so they weren't a problem. The biggest annoyance was all of the vines between the innumerable amount of trees. Ed had his sword drawn slashing a path for them through the swamp.

'Ok' Ed thought, 'What are the other dangers of the swamp? We've been lucky so far, but that could change. Let's see...there's the fire sprouts, but I have that figured out.'

Ed suddenly put his hand in front of Winry, stopping them just as fire sprouted in front of them. After it stopped they continued on.

'There's also sinkholes, so we should be careful about where we step.'

Winry decided to break their long silence.

"Hey Ed, I-"

She didn't get to finish, within the blink of an eye the ground beneath Winry gave way and she disappeared into it.

"Winry!" Ed stood there stunned for a moment before he sprung into action.

Using his sword, he cut a vine and quickly pulled on it to make sure that it was durable and that he had enough. Finding it satisfactory he tied it around his waist, looking down at the sinkhole.

"I hope this works." He said aloud.

Taking a deep breath he dove headfirst into the hole.

Seconds after Ed disappeared into the ground a creature came out of the brush. It's hooves moved cautiously across the ground. The scales on its back twitched as it sniffed around with its snout. It had been following the strange scents for a while, but they seemed to disappear here. It stared at the vine sticking in the ground for several moments before it moved off, hissing at a small rodent that passed it.

The vine twitched occasionally, but other then that there was no other movement in the area. Suddenly Ed's fist punched through the sand as he continued to climb up the vine. He gasped desperately for air the second his head breached the surface. Behind him he heard Winry gasping as she clutched onto his neck for dear life. Ed kept pulling until both he and Winry were out of the hole before he collapsed on the ground. Ed lay on his back breathing heavily, air slowly filling his lungs. Next to him he heard Winry coughing and gagging as she threw up sand that she had swallowed. Pushing himself onto his side he crawled over to Winry and put his arms around her. He rubbed her back soothingly as they soon both got back to breathing normally. Winry turned around and hugged Ed, with her head resting on his shoulder. Ed hugged her back, bringing a hand up to vainly try to brush the sand out of her hair.

"Are we ever going to make it out of this place?" Winry asked tiredly.

"Well they say all good things must come to an end, so I assume the same goes for bad things." Ed tried to joke.

Winry looked at him. "Thank you."

"You never have to thank me." Ed said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Winry looked pretty tired so Ed put his arms under her legs and shoulders, scooped her up bridal style.

"Hey!" Winry exclaimed.

"Settle down, Princess. It's a free ride. No complaining." Ed smirked, then frowned. Winry seemed skinnier than she should be. But that didn't make sense, she lives in a castle, she should have all of the food that she wants. 'For all I know that bastard's been starving her too.' Ed growled in his head. But despite that he still loved having her in his arms.

Winry pouted but stayed silent.

Ed shifted her into a more comfortable position, then started walking again. "If you get tired, you can take a nap." He said.

"Don't count on it Elric." Winry grumbled.

Ed grinned and kissed her forehead again before moving further into the swamp.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **We did it everyone! They're back together!...for now.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Heads up, things are going to get pretty intimate between Ed and Winry. nudge nudge wink wink. ;) You can skip the scene if you want.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed stepped over a log as he continued walking through the swamp. He felt sweat running down his neck, but his hands were full. Despite her earlier denial, Winry had ended up falling asleep in his arms.

Ed chuckled, "At least some things never change." He whispered to her sleeping form, remembering back to the trip to Liore where he first realized his true feelings for her. Now that he had a growth spurt, carrying Winry's petite body was a lot easier. So far he'd been carrying her for about an hour and the sun was setting. Ed looked down at her when he heard Winry's stomach growl in her sleep. He almost burst out laughing when his own stomach growled.

'Damn, I'm pretty friggin hungry.'

Looking up, he stopped in his tracks. About a hundred paces from him was a house. Well it looked more like a shack than an actual place that someone would live in. Walking over to it, Ed saw that all the windows were completely boarded up, leaving him unable to see inside. Looking it up and down, he noticed that the structure was pretty big, about the size of the Rockbell household. Walking around it, he concluded that the entire house looked the same: run down with boarded up windows. He stopped when he came across what looked like a door.

'Well this is an interesting find.' He thought to himself as he moved forward to inspect the door. He quickly found out that it was locked. Looking down at Winry, he nudged her gently to wake her up. She grimaced at his initial efforts, but soon opened her eyes to glare at him.

"What?"

"Look what I found." Ed looked at the door.

"What the…?" Winry stared at the structure in surprise.

Ed placed her down on the ground and walked up to the door again. Taking out his chalk he drew a circle around the doorknob, after it was complete he slapped his hand down and the door clicked open.

He looked behind him and smirked at Winry who rolled her eyes. Ed drew his sword and pushed the door open.

"Stay behind me." He warned.

Ed stepped inside and stopped in surprise. The inside was completely different than the outside. The exterior made the house look rundown and filthy, but the interior was neat and tidy.

"What..?" Ed looked around.

"Well for a swamp shack it's pretty nice." Winry said behind him.

"Shhh" Ed held up a hand. "Stay here."

"You just said-"

"I know!" Ed walked forward. The floor and walls were almost spotless, with spare furniture placed around randomly.

'What is this?' Ed thought.

Leaving the main room, Ed walked into a hallway that led to three different rooms. Moving into one, Ed saw it was a kitchen. It was very plain, with wooden chairs, a table, and cabinets. The room was lit by blue candles.

Ed opened the cabinets and found that there was food still in them. They were wrapped in some type of material, Ed took a roll o bread out and took a cautious bite.

'Huh, that's not that bad. This food looks old but it's well preserved. Whoever lives here is good at storing food.'

Winry walked into the room, "How's the food?"

"Pretty good." Ed said, "Wait didn't I tell you-?"

"I ignored you and guess what? There's a bedroom." Winry pointed backwards, "It looks like there's two people living here because there's a king bed and a small cot."

"Seen anyone?" Ed asked.

"No." Winry responded. "Do you think Selim will follow us?"

"He'd be a fool to try with so many men. The flames will scare the horses so I think our chances are good."

"Thank god." Winry said sitting down on a chair and looked around, "What's up with those candles?"

"They're special candles." Ed informed her, "The wicks are changed to last for weeks on end. I alchemize them this way too."

"Why are they blue?" Winry asked.

"I don't know." Ed shrugged, he looked to the door. "There's one more room. I'll check it out."

"I already did, it's locked." Winry called out.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Ed said back.

Walking up to it, Ed noticed that this door was heavier than the others. Its hinges were stronger and the lock was larger. Dropping on one knee, Ed quickly drew a circle and unlocked the door. It took a little effort but Ed was able to pull it open. When he looked through the open doorway and saw an ominous staircase leading down into a basement. As the air in the basement came up Ed was hit with a horrible stench. Stepping back, he pulled out his mask and tied it around his face to block his nose and mouth. Drawing his sword, he closed the door behind him as he made his way down. There was a low light at the bottom, yet Ed couldn't hear anything. When he reached the bottom the first thing that Ed noticed was that the source of the light was from an opening of a hatch that lead outside. Ed's eyes widened as he took in the rest of the room.

There was dried blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floors, and in the cages. There were cages all around the room. Each one a different size. The door for each of these cages was opened. The source of the smell was a bloody corpse in the middle of floor. It was heavily decayed with many slash marks and chunks of flesh missing. Around the mess were the bloody footprints of a number of animals. Ed saw hooves, paws, claws, and webbed feet.

'What the fuck happened here?'

Looking back at the body Ed saw a broken pair of glasses next to its face. There were also notes with transmutation circles all around. Ed slowly began to back up away from the scene. As he left he glanced at the one open cage that was labeled. It had a single name on it.

Nina.

Exiting up the stairs Ed quickly closed the door and alchemied the lock shut. He turned when he heard Winry speak.

"Hey Ed, come see what I found." Winry said excitedly.

"Uh, what?" Ed said, still thinking about what he just saw in the basement.

"Are you ok?" Winry asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ed put on a grin, "What did you find?"

"Come with me." Winry grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom. When they entered the bedroom, Winry dragged him left into a bathroom. In the bathroom was a sink and a tub.

"Look a tub." Winry pointed.

"So?" Ed asked.

Winry looked at him annoyed, "So, we can clean ourselves. I don't know if you've seen yourself but you look like a dump."

"You don't look too well kept yourself." Ed returned with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey." Winry said, folding her arms. "I've had a long day."

"Oh, you've had a long day?" Ed drawled. "You got a piggyback ride up that cliff, I had to drag myself up."

"Well I'm sorry that you weren't the one getting kidnapped." Winry said, folding her arms across her chest. Ed smirked at her defiant glare.

"Whatever you say Princess." He said, looking around the room. "Well you can take the tub, I'll take a bucket."

"What?" Winry looked at him.

"Well I'm not going to be wait for you to finish up. I faintly remember you being a fan of long baths." Ed smirked at her.

"I do not!" Winry narrowed her eyes.

"Yes you do and you know it." Ed grinned.

"Why do you always have to be an ass?"

Ed walked up to the tub and turned a nozzle, releasing the water.

"This place is pretty cool." Ed said.

"I wonder who lives here?" Winry said, "They might have one or two questions if they come back to find us."

Ed remembered the scene in the basement, "I think an Alchemist lived here, but by the looks of things I don't think we have to worry."

Ed stuck the bucket under the water, filling it up.

"So are we going to wash ourselves in the same room?" Winry asked a little shyly.

Ed paused, 'Shit, how is this going to work?'

Looking over at Winry who looked rather uncomfortable herself.

'The bruises.' Ed thought with a sigh. 'They must be fading at this point, but not enough. She probably doesn't want me to see all of them…..wait have I ever seen her naked before?'

Thinking back Ed just realized that Winry and him had never gone farther than removing a shirt or stockings.

Sex.

For the first time today Ed thought about sex. They'd almost done it two years ago, but had stopped at the last second. At the time Winry had asked him if there was ever going to be a right time.

'Right now.' The perverted part of Ed's mind said, 'There's a perfectly good bed in the other room.'

Ed tried thinking of something else, but couldn't.

'You've been waiting for two years, she's been waiting for two years. Enough waiting! Rip that dress off her and ravish her all night long.'

Ed sighed, then froze when he felt tingling in a certain area.

'You've got to be kidding me! Not again!'

Turning his body so Winry couldn't see his growing problem. He saw that she was staring at him with those big blue eyes of hers, waiting for a response.

'Why does she have to look so pretty all the time?' He thought irritably.

"I-I'll put up something between us so...we can have some privacy."

"Oh, ok." Winry said.

Ed went into the bedroom and looked in the closet. There were extra sheets for the bed.

'Good enough.' Ed thought.

Going back into the bathroom he alchemied the sheet to the wall and floor. It provided enough privacy for both of them.

"Is this good?" Ed asked Winry nervously.

"Yes, I think so." Winry gave a small smile.

"Well...see you soon." Ed grabbed the bucket and walked behind the sheet.

"Hey Ed?" He heard Winry call him as she waited for the tub to fill up.

"Yes?" Ed started removing his clothes.

"What do we do after we get out of this swamp?"

"Well we'll need to lay low for a little while, until I can get a message to my crew." Ed dipped the cloth into the bucket.

"Your crew?" He heard Winry say.

"I am Greed after all. I'm the captain of a pirate ship, so naturally I have a crew of men who follow me." Ed began running the cloth over his skin, washing away all the dirt and mud.

"Once you get a message to your crew then what?" He heard Winry say.

"We get Pinako then get the hell out of here." He responded.

"You want my grandmother to live on a pirate ship?"

"They're great guys and they'll do anything I say. You don't have to worry about them." Ed began wiping the dirt off his metal arm.

"It's bizarre that you have a crew. I don't know, it's just weird that there are actually people who take orders from you."

"Hey!" Ed looked up at Winry and instantly regretted it.

Even though there was a sheet separating them, the candle for the room was next to the tub so the light was coming in his direction. Because of this, Winry's body was perfectly silhouetted against the sheet, and right now she was taking her clothes off.

'Oh my…'

Winry finally pulled the red dress over her head and Ed was able to see her in all her silhouetted glory.

Ed watched as she dipped her finger in the water and then stood up to her full height. Ed couldn't tear his eyes away, he could make out most of her curves. Winry raised her arms above her hand in a stretch, causing certain features on her chest to become more prominent.

'This is going to be the death of me.' Ed thought as he tried to get back to cleaning his arm. He looked back at Winry who was still standing there.

'Why is it taking that water so long to warm up!' This is the ultimate tease!'

Watching her like this with both of them so close to each other, naked, but just barely separated was torture.

'I want her. I've wanted her so badly for the last two years, I don't know how I haven't gone insane.' He sighed to himself.

Finally Winry stepped into the bath, but did so slowly, so Ed had plenty of time to admire her long legs. Even if they were just silhouettes.

'After we both wash up, then what?'

Ed certainly knew what he wanted to happen, but was unsure if that was what Winry wanted.

'If I have to wait longer I will.' He decided. 'Especially after what that bastard Selim's put her through.' Ed decided in his head. The last thing he wanted was to cause her anymore pain.

On the other side of the sheet Winry was having similar thoughts. She knew right now Ed was standing naked mere feet away from her. If she'd thought he was handsome before he left, he was gorgeous now. His new rugged look fitted him very well and caused butterflies to appear in her stomach. He was tall and muscular. When he was carrying her earlier she swore she felt a six pack underneath that coat and shirt.

'I wonder what he looks like now without a shirt?' Winry thought as she looked across the room at the sheet. 'If only there was a hole in that thing that I could see through.'

She imagined running her hands over his sculpted chest as she stared into his darkening golden eyes. His strong arms wrapped around her and slowly removing her dress-

'Whoa.' She thought. 'Slow down. He's less then 10 feet away from you.'

'So?' The perverted voice in her head said. 'Tear that sheet down and go to town on him, girl.'

'Oh great, I'm talking to myself.' Winry said. 'But..it has been so long since we've seen each other...I want this. I want him.'

Back on the other side of the sheet Ed had finished up cleaning his arm when he heard Winry ask "How hungry are you?"

"I'm pretty hungry. You?"

"I'm starving." Winry replied.

"The food in the kitchens pretty good. Wanna eat after this?"

"Sounds good."

Ed dipped his hair into the bucket then wringed the water out of it. On the other side of the sheet he could hear Winry washing herself. Eventually he heard Winry step out of the tub and glanced up to see her begin to dry herself with a towel. When she was done she slid her red dress on and walked out to the bedroom.

Ed finished up with his towel and slid his pants, shirt and boots on. When he went into the bedroom, he didn't see Winry. The sound of bare feet on a floor told him that she was going to the kitchen. He followed her in. When he entered the kitchen he saw Winry trying to reach the top cabinet. It was made of glass and on the other side there appeared to be fruits. Winry let out an annoyed groan when she couldn't quite reach the shelf. It was just out reach, even with her standing on her toes. Ed couldn't help but chuckle at her growing irritation. Winry glared over her shoulder.

"Are you going to stop standing there and help me or should I get a chair?"

"I'm just enjoying the view." Ed grinned.

"Alchemy freak." Winry muttered as she grabbed a chair. Before she could put it in place Ed had already moved to get the fruit. He easily took them out of the shelf and handed them to an annoyed Winry.

"I'll get some bread."

After some brief preparation the two of them were sitting at the table eating their food. Several minutes passed when Winry spoke up.

"I know it's probably too late to ask this but do you think whoever lives here would approve of this?"

"What do you mean?" Ed took a bite out of the sandwich he had made.

"Well obviously someone lives here and they might come back soon and find us eating their food."

Ed thought about the scene in the basement, "Actually I think if anyone was living here then we would probably have seen them by now."

"How do you know they're not just out doing something in the swamp...and why would anyone live in this place anyway?"

"Exactly." Ed said, "Maybe this is some weird summer home or something and the owner just isn't here."

"A summer home in the Fire Swamp?"

"Well to me this wouldn't be my first choice for a nice relaxing get away, but it might be for someone else. He'd certainly have all the privacy that he wants."

Winry mulled over this as she brought a spoonful of fruit into her mouth. "Maybe. That might explain why this place is all boarded up and the food is all preserved."

"Ok then. I think we should spend the night here. Then in the morning we can keep on going, I'm pretty sure we're close to the end of the swamp."

"Ed?" Winry was blushing.

"Yes?"

"Who's going to get which bed?"

"Uhhhhh," Ed fumbled with words as his dirty thoughts came back full force. "Well you can have whichever one you want...uh, I could take the cot and you get the bed or vice versa. Or maybe…." Ed didn't finish the sentence.

He looked at Winry and saw her blush had increased even more as she spoke.

"Or we could use the same bed." She practically whispered.

Ed gulped nervously.

"I mean." Winry continued. "It's been so long since we've seen each other and this would be the first night with us...back together."

"Winry, I-" Ed stopped when Winry stood up. He and she stared into each other's eyes and Ed knew then and there what was about to happen.

"Ok." He said, as his cheeks reddened.

Winry gave a small smile before turning around and heading towards the bedroom. Ed stared at her until she disappeared out of view. Slowly, he stood up and made his way towards the room.

'Moment of truth.' He thought

Ed walked into the room. It was dimly lit, with a single candle illuminating the walls. Winry was sitting in the middle of the king bed staring at him. Her blue eyes shining softly in the light. Her red dress pooling around her slender thighs. Slowly he walked over and climbed into the bed. Now him and Winry were inches apart, standing up on their knees, staring at each other. Ed swallowed nervously as he gazed into her azure eyes. His own eyes silently asking her if this is what she wanted. She looked nervous too, but smiled and she said what she had always wanted to say.

"Yes."

Smiling back he moved his face forward and like that their lips were connected. Winry moaned as her hands moved over his broad shoulders, into his long hair. Ed slid his tongue into Winry's mouth. His tongue explored the warmth of Winry's mouth as his hands moved from her shoulders to her breasts. His eyes widened slightly when Winry suddenly pushed him onto his back. He looked up at her with a surprised look and she smirked down at him as she positioned herself onto his lap. Quickly undoing the sash around her dress, Winry slid the red outfit over her head. She gave Ed a smirk before frowning at the shocked look on his face. Glancing down she gasped, the bruises! Many of them had faded away but there was still a good number of fading dark black/green smudges across her body.

'How could I have forgotten about them. Oh god I must look hideous!' Winry chided herself as she covered her bare breasts and looked away from Ed. "Don't look at me Ed!" She said quietly.

Her voice broke Ed out of his shock and he immediately reached out for her. "Winry?" He asked as he pulled her closer, his voice laced with concern.

"I-I forgot about them. Oh Ed, you must think I look hideous." Winry's voice cracked with emotion. She felt Ed's arms wrap around her before he pulled away. Opening her eyes, Winry looked at Ed to see his reaction.

Much to her surprise Ed began to trace a bruise on her shoulder with his pointer finger. "Ed what are..?"

Winry's words caught in her throat as Ed leaned forward and gently kissed the bruise. Her eyes widened before she closed them as Ed began to kiss every bruise or scar on her naked body. His lips set her skin on fire and sent joints of pleasure right to her core.

Ed had no idea what he was doing. As soon as he saw the bruises littering her beautiful body, he wanted them gone. He knew what he was doing wouldn't get rid of them; but it was his way of helping. With every kiss he healed a part of her that Selim had hurt.

Ed paused in his ministrations to glance up at Winry. Her eyes were closed and her mouth open in pleasure. Seeing that she was happy he smiled and continued exploring her body. 'So far so good..dear god her skin is so soft.' Soon he stopped kissing her bruises and instead started tasting and touching as much of her as he could. Eventually he laid back and looked up at her.

She smiled shyly when she saw Ed staring shamelessly at her breasts and blushed. Ed began fumbling with his pants and Winry got off to help. Winry blushed even more at seeing Ed naked for the first time. She glanced briefly at the place where his metal arm connected with his body. It had caught her off guard initially, but after a while she had gotten used to it. She leaned forward and kissed it several times. Assuring him, like he had assured her, that he was no less handsome in her eyes. Her eyes lingered on his sculpted chest and moved down to something once again prominent in his lap.

'That was so long ago.' Winry thought back to the time that they had almost done it.

Moving gracefully, Winry straddled Ed's legs and smiled down at him. Ed smiled back and Winry lowered her lips to Ed's chest. Ed let out a groan as Winry began licking and sucking on his skin. She nibbled him lightly as she slowly worked her way up to his neck. His hands rubbed her smooth back then slid down to squeeze her bum. She let out a gasp to which Ed smirked smugly. Not to be outdone, Winry kissed her way up his neck and sucked on his pulse point. Ed let out a quiet moan as Winry peppered kisses over his jaw. When she got to his lips she paused to look in his eyes, which were blazing in the dim light. Ed suddenly flipped them over so that he was on top and she was under him. He smashed his lips against hers in a hungry, desperate kiss. Winry tangled her hands in his long hair as she kissed him back just as enthusiastically. After several minutes they broke apart, each of them breathless. Ed then positioned his body so that he was between her legs, he paused and looked into Winry's eyes.

"Just relax, it'll be more comfortable if you relax."

She smiled and nodded. Nodding in return, Ed's hand moved between her legs and she cried out in pleasure. Ed groaned at how wet she was and how much pleasure he got from hearing her moaning. He kissed her deeply as his fingers moved slowly in and out of her. Winry returned the kiss as she gripped his shoulders tightly. Ed's fingers speed up as Winry's muffled moans got louder. Then he began twisting and rubbing his digits within her, causing Winry to break the kiss and throw her head back. Exposing her pale neck to him, Ed began kissing and sucking on her soft flesh.

Winry was in heaven. The sensations that his touch caused her body were fantastic. She could feel a burning feeling in her lower stomach. A feeling of desire and lust. A feeling that could only be sated by him.

"Ed..please." She gasped in between moans.

"Need something Winry?" He asked against her neck. His fingers started moving faster in and out of her.

"I..na..uh...oh." Winry closed her eyes, unable to form words. The feeling between her legs was too damn good. She could feel Ed chuckling, the vibrations moving through her neck as he continued to suck and nibble on her flesh. Winry ran her hands up and down his back, digging her nails lightly into his skin.

Eventually, Winry gave a loud cry and her body shuddered. Ed continued to pump his fingers until she calmed down before he removed his fingers and got into position. Winry gave him a nod through half lidded eyes. Ed let out a breath before thrusting into her. He went slow, moving inch by inch. He tried to give her as much time to adjust as possible, but the tightness of her around him felt so damn good. His previous sexual experience didn't even compare to how good Winry made him feel. Looking at her he saw Winry wincing slightly, but soon she smiled, showing that she was ready. Smiling, Ed kissed her before pulling back.

"I love you." He said before slowly pulling out of her then thrusting back in.

Both of them moaned loudly at the sensation. Winry threw her head back with a gasp. Never before had she anything this good or pleasurable. Ed smirked at her reaction and lowered his mouth to hers as he started thrusting in her at a steady pace. She moaned into his mouth as she met him thrust for thrust. After some incoherent movements, he was able to set a steady pace that had her mewling beneath him. Winry's hands gripped Ed's shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his skin as she held on for the ride of her life.

"Nhh..oh..uhh!" Winry gasped with each thrust, breaking the kiss with Ed to throw her head back in ecstasy.

Ed smirked at her disheveled appearance, but then had to bite his cheek to stop himself from moaning. Opening his eyes he looked down at her sweaty face. "Y-you good?" He asked. This was still her first time and he wanted to be as gentle as possible.

"Ah..oh god yes Ed. Keep going!" She begged, her senses were going crazy due to the onslaught of pleasure that was overwhelming her body. After a few moments she pulled Ed down into an open mouthed kiss. Ed smirked and twirled his tongue with hers causing her to moan into his mouth.

Ed broke the kiss and buried his head in her neck with a groan. All he could feel was Winry. A part of him couldn't believe that this was happening; that he was this lucky. Nothing else could compare to this moment. Winry, the love of life, was beneath him. They were finally joined. With every rock of his hips, Ed could feel the heat between them growing. It was fucking fantastic. Ed pulled his head away from Winry's neck to gaze at her face. Dear god, she looked so damn beautiful.

"Go harder, faster." Winry pleaded, hands moving down to grip his backside tightly.

"Are you sure?" Ed asked.

"Please Ed." Winry said, her eyes big.

"Okay." Ed whispered before increasing his pace.

"Ahhh Ahh" Winry moaned, her voice bouncing off the walls.

"Winry." Ed gasped lovingly as he thrusted into her with everything he had. His thrusts were strong, but not too hard. He wanted to make her feel as good as possible. And he was, if Winry's screams were any indication. His thrusts wrecked havoc on Winry's nerves and left her a puddle of goo in his arms. The bed creaked and shook with their movements as young lovers started to move in perfect sync.

Eventually Ed could feel his release approaching him quickly. Based off of Winry's moans she was close as well. 'I can't believe after all this time she's finally mine.' Ed thought as he gazed down as the beautiful woman beneath him, the noises she was making and the bouncing of her firm breasts only brought him closer to finishing.

Winry was feeling a similar sensation. Something was building up in her lower stomach, a tightening that was about to burst. She squeezed his hard flesh in response to spur him on.

"Ed..Ed I think I'm gonna.." She gasped out while he continued to hammer away.

"I-I know." He grunted. "Me too."

An idea popped into Ed's head and he grinned wolfishly. Halting his movements, he chuckled at her irritated look. Ed placed a gentle kiss on her lips before flipping them so that he was on his back and she was on top. Winry was dazed for several moments before she looked down at Ed who was relaxing back into the pillows. Understanding quickly, Winry gave a small giggle then began to move her hips up and down. They both moaned at this new position. Ed's eyes clenched shut at just how fucking good she felt. When he opened his eyes the sight of her above him was breathtaking. Winry's hands were on his chest for leverage as she continued to push herself up and down. Ed's hands found her hips and began pulling her downward to meet his upward thrusts.

"You're beautiful." He gasped, not caring if he sounded cheesy.

"Ed I..." Winry struggled to speak as a large shudder went through her body. "I can't-"

"It's okay." Ed whispered, his hands moving to support her. "Just let go. I've got you."

His tender words seemed to do it as Winry gasped loudly before her entire body shuddered. With a loud cry, she fell forward onto Ed's chest. He caught Winry in his arms and held her as he thrust several more times before reaching his own finish.

Ed wrapped his arms firmly around Winry's heaving body as they both lay there panting for several minutes. If Ed could use one word to describe how he felt it would be bliss. He rubbed his hand comfortingly up and down her back as he simply enjoyed the warmth her body provided. After a while the two of them were able to regain their abilities to speak.

"E-E-Ed?" Winry gasped.

"Y-Yes Winry?" Ed responded.

"That..was.." She trailed off.

"I know." Ed said."...wanna do it again?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry slowly cracked her eyes open. Last night had been the best night of sleep she'd had in a long time, even if there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping involved. At the moment, she felt a soreness in her lower stomach. 'Not surprising considering how...assertive Ed was last night.' She thought with a blush as memories of the previous night flashed through her head.

Looking up, she saw Ed's sleeping face. She smiled, this was the sight that she had always wanted to wake up to. She snuggled her face in his naked chest and Ed's arms, both flesh and metal, tightened around her. She felt him press a kiss to her forehead.

"Are you awake?" Winry asked softly.

"No." Ed murmured with closed eyes. "I'm still asleep."

"Well in that case, I'll just stay here and wait for you to wake up." Winry rubbed her cheek against his firm skin.

"Sounds like a plan." Ed said with a smile.

Winry smiled and felt herself drifting off to sleep once again. A little while later, Winry woke up to the feeling of Ed planting kisses on her face. She opening her eyes to find him hovering over her.

"Are you still asleep?" Winry asked playfully as Ed began to kiss her neck. She sighed in contentment as his lips peppered her skin with soft kisses. Her sigh turned into a moan when he nipped a particularly sensitive spot at the base of her neck.

"How do you feel." Ed breathed into her skin as he began to use his tongue.

"I'm a little sore actually...is that normal?" Winry asked.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly normal. I'll just have to wait a little while before having my way with you again." Ed joked as he lifted his head.

Winry blushed a deep red, causing Ed to chuckle and plant a kiss on her nose. Ed flopped down on his side and pulled Winry's flush against his chest.

"Hey Ed?" Winry asked after a few moments.

"Yes dear?" Ed smirked into her hair.

"During your time as a pirate….were there ever any other women?" Winry asked hesitantly.

"No, never." Ed said instantly.

"Sorry, but I had to ask." Winry said.

"It would have been pretty hypocritical of me if I judged you, while I myself had been unfaithful." Ed said softly.

"I just wanted to make sure." Winry said.

"It's ok." Ed kissed the back of her head.

"So you survived 2 years on a pirate ship without having sex once?" Winry asked, "Wow, that must have been hard." She grinned at the end.

"Yeah." Ed grinned as well, "Celibacy is rather frowned upon in that line of work."

"I'm surprised your men never mutinied."

"I quelled their traitorous thoughts by listening to stories of their own exploits."

"Their exploits huh? Did you learn anything during these story times?" Winry asked curiously.

"I most certainly did."

"Was that where you learned...the..the thing that you did with…" Winry trailed off with a blush.

"That and much, much more." Ed grinned wolfishly.

Winry blushed even more. "Can't wait to find out." She mumbled before covering her mouth in shock. Ed's laughter rang in her ears.

"Sounds like somebody's looking forward to expanding their horizons" Ed smirked.

"What the hell does that mean?" Winry asked

"It means somebody got a little naughty since I've been away." Ed said.

Winry let out a small gasp.

 _Where are you going?_

"Winry?"

 _Come back out you naughty girl. You haven't learned your lesson!_

Winry started shaking.

 _Don't forget our wedding is in a little over two weeks from now._

"Oh God." Winry whispered.

 _I'm sure by then, you'll have grown to love me_

Suddenly Winry jumped out of Ed's arms and kicked away to the other side of the large bed. Being in the arms of a man, even if it was Ed, just became very unpleasant for her.

"Winry!" Ed shot up. Winry hugged her knees to her chest as she tried to calm her breathing.

Ed's eyes drifted from her pale face to the greenish bruises that still covered her body.

Selim.

Ed took a deep breath to control the surge of anger that name always brought to him. Right now Winry needed him.

Shuffling over her, Ed slowly wrapped his arms around her, only pausing for a moment when she flinched. His metal arm went around her waist while his flesh hand rubbed her scalp gently. He pulled Winry against his chest and rested his chin on her head.

"You're never going to back to him." He whispered soothingly, as he continued to rub her scalp. "I swear on my life that you will never go back to him." Ed paused briefly to kiss her on the head. "Before I came back, expecting everything to be the same, I took a look at some islands." Ed began to gently rock the two of them back and forward. "I found one that I think you might like." Ed continued to speak soothingly. "There's a big house we can buy and plenty of fields. There's also a village nearby that's in need of a good blacksmith. I'm sure you could open up a new shop with Pinako there. It's far, far away and nobody here will ever find us there."

Ed paused for a moment before continuing. "There's this beach in a bay on the east side of the island. I'd call it the second most beautiful thing in this world. When I first saw it I thought...I thought that it might be a good place for us to get married...does that sound ok?"

Several minutes passed as the two of them sat there wrapped around each other. Eventually Ed felt Winry relax and the tension began leaving her body. She turned to look at Ed with a shy yet sweet smile on her face. "Yes..I would like that."

"Good." Ed smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"Sorry about that." Winry mumbled.

"Never apologize for something that he did to you." Ed said.

"Ok." Winry said.

"Will you marry me?" Ed asked suddenly.

Winry looked at him surprised.

Ed smiled, "I never did ask you properly." Then he reached over off the side of the bed and grabbed his pants. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small black box. Winry stared curiously at him then gasped when Ed opened it to reveal a diamond ring.

"Ed..is that?" Winry asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, it is." Ed smiled. "I wanted you to have one. To make it official."

Ed took Winry's hand and slid the ring snugly onto her ring finger. Winry's eyes sparkled as she examined the jewel.

"It's beautiful." Winry said. "Where did you get it?"

"I'm a pirate." Ed grinned. "I know how to get the most valuable gems….so what do you say?"

"Hmm I don't know." Winry said with a coy smirk, "Give me a few moments to think about it."

"Please." Ed flashed a boyish smile.

"Yes of course!" Winry pulled him into a long, deep kiss before moving to get off the bed. "I'm hungry, come on, let's have breakfast."

"I just asked you to marry me and you want to eat breakfast?" Ed asked incredulously as he got off the bed as well.

"Hey I said yes." Winry defended, "Come on. We have another day of walking ahead of us and we need all strength we can get."

Ed sighed, but grinned anyway and gave Winry a playful smack on the bum as she walked by, causing her to jump. She turned and shook her head at him, but had a smirk on her face as she walked towards the door. Ed smiled and followed her out.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

A few hours later, Ed closed the door behind him as he walked out of the house. He couldn't help but smile at just seeing Winry in front of him. With the sunlight shining through the trees, she seemed to be glowing. Ed honestly didn't know if he deserved her, in his opinion she was perfect in every way.

Winry turned and smiled at him, holding out her hand for him to take. Ed smiled back and clasped her smaller hand in his as the two of them began walking again. Ed had repaired all the rips and tears in her red gown with alchemy and she'd done his hair in the way that it had been when they were in Resembool. It was easy to forget that the last two years hadn't happened and they'd been with each other the entire time.

Later, Ed and Winry were stepping over a log as they continued to walk through the swamp.

"It seems to be clearing up." Winry observed.

"Good." Ed said, "I've had enough swamp to last a lifetime."

A twig snapping behind them caught both of their attention. They turned around, but didn't see anything.

"...ok." Ed pulled Winry along with him, memories of the basement coming back to him. Something dangerous had torn that man to shreds, and whatever it was had probably gotten outside.

They heard the sound of branches snapping off to their left.

"Ed?" Winry asked uncertainly.

"Keep going." Ed said as he increased their pace, his free hand dropping to his sword.

Suddenly a bush to their side exploded as something came rushing out towards them. Ed instantly drew his sword and pushed Winry behind him. Thrusting forward, Ed impaled the creature in its eye, killing it.

Pulling his sword out, Ed stepped forward cautiously to examine the creature. It looked like a cat, but it had talons instead of claws. It's feet were those of an eagle. Looking up, it's face looked more like a bear then a cat's.

"What is that thing?" Winry asked over his shoulder.

"I have no idea." Ed half lied. He figured it came from the basement but he truly had no idea what it was.

There was more rustling in the bushes.

"Are there more of them?" Winry asked looking around nervously. This swamp just got a lot darker.

"Definitely." Ed held his sword up, he could feel several eyes on them. His grip on his sword tightened as he held Winry protectively against him.

"Winry, grab a stick." Ed said, "A thick one that you can use to defend yourself."

Winry looked at several sticks on the ground until she saw one one that looked like a perfect club. Picking it up, she moved until she was back to back with Ed, holding the stick in front of her.

"Hold the stick with two hands." Ed said, "Don't let anything get too close to you. Don't panic, I'll keep you safe."

The first creature came from the side. It looked like some kind of monkey-wolf mix. It came at Ed, who slashed his sword when it came close. The sword sliced a gash on the creature's shoulder, causing it to retreat with a screech. To their left a raccoon-cougar mix quickly made its way to Winry. She swung the club when it came close to her, missing the creature but causing it to retreat. Ed looked up as a rat-leopard mix lunged at him from a branch above him. He pushed Winry away from him as he brought his sword up to impale it. The creature spun in the air so Ed ended up slashing its side as it tackled him. The creature bared its teeth and moved for Ed's throat only to get a mouthful of metal. Ed grunted as the creature bit down on his metal limb and began to thrash it around. Meanwhile, Winry was rammed from the side by a scaly dog creature and thrown to the ground. She looked up to see it coming at her and she raised a foot and kicked it directly in the face. The dog lizard let out a growl as it backed up. Winry grabbed her stick and when the thing came at her again she smacked it across the face, sending it to ground where it lay unmoving. Ed let out a small cry of pain as the creature's long claws dug into his chest. Bringing his leg up, Ed kicked the creature off of him. It rolled on the ground and stood up, ready to lunge when Winry brought her stick down on its neck as hard as she could. With a sickening crack and a cry, the creature collapsed on the ground. From his spot in the ground Ed saw the raccoon creature coming up behind Winry. Throwing himself forward, Ed stuck his sword into the creature's throat. Winry spun around and saw the dead raccoon-cougar falling to the ground. Ed pulled his sword out and got to his feet. His metal arm moved stiffly and creaked loudly.

"Damn it." Ed looked at his damaged arm.

"Are you ok?" Winry asked, running over to him.

"My arm got chewed up, it works well enough I think." Ed moved his arm up and down.

"What were those things?" Winry surveyed the scene around her.

"I don't know exactly, but have you ever heard of a chimera?" Ed asked.

"No." Winry responded.

"It's a legend, of a mythical beast that is a combination of several animals. I don't about you, but those things match that description." Ed said.

"I guess so." Winry looked down, "You're bleeding!" Ed glanced down and saw three red gashes across his chest.

"It's just a scratch." Ed winced as he brought his hand up to his injuries.

"Let me see." Winry moved to look, "Oh, those look pretty bad!"

"Nice bed side courtesy, honey." Ed said dryly.

"We need to clean that. It'll get infected." Winry said.

"There aren't many doctors around and I doubt you have any string and needles." Ed shot back.

"Then let's get moving, shall we?" Winry said.

"Walking through this fucking swamp is really getting old." Ed muttered to himself.

About two more hours of walking later and they finally began to see light.

"Fucking finally." Ed muttered to himself.

"Please tell me this island you want to live on doesn't have any trees." Winry grumbled next to him.

"When last I checked yes, but I'll cut them all down." Ed joked.

"Well you do owe me two birthday presents." Winry said with a smile.

"Seriously? Isn't a tropical island paradise good enough for you?" Ed looked at her

"Hey, I was starting to get used to the benefits of royal life. You can't really expect me to go back to living a non privileged life." Winry grinned up at him.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, princess." Despite that, he was set straight on spoiling her as much as he possibly could. If it was up to him, nothing would be good enough for her.

Suddenly a low growling sound rang behind them. They both spun around and Winry gasped. Behind them stood an enormous lion creature. It's front half was that of a lion, while its second half was that of some kind of bird with sharp talons. It's tail was that of a crocodile's. All in all, it was the deadliest looking creature that had encountered so far.

"That's a lot bigger than the other ones." Winry observed nervously, as she backed up.

"Winry run out into the clearing and wait for me." Ed said quickly.

"But-" Winry started.

"Just go." Ed yelled, "I'll be out soon, don't worry I have a plan."

"Don't you dare die on me." Winry pulled him into a brief kiss and gazed into his eyes.

"Go!" Ed gave her a small push on the shoulder to get her moving.

The Chimera watched Winry as she started to run and let out a growl as it began moving towards her.

"Hey!" Ed shouted.

The Chimera looked at him.

"Yeah, that's right. Look at me, you ugly bastard, look at me!" Ed waved his creaking metal arm in the air.

The Chimera growled and charged.

'Shit!' Ed barely rolled out of the way of the beast. When he stood up the Chimera was coming at him again so he took off running. He saw an opening between two thick trees and dove through it. The Chimera crashed into the trees behind him and let out a hiss as it reeled from the impact. Ed took this time to think of an actual plan.

'Ok, are there any fire sprouts? We haven't seen any for a little while, but there has to be one somewhere.'

At this point the Chimera had maneuvered itself around the trees and was coming at him again. Ed backed up slowly waving his arms and shouting, trying to appear bigger and intimidating. A tactic that usually worked on scaring off mountain lions. This slowed the lion down, who followed him slowly. Suddenly, Ed heard the popping sounds of a fire sprout from somewhere behind him. When he turned to see where it was the Chimera charged, Ed was able to roll out of the way, but not before he got a good slash on the leg from the Chimera's claws. Ed hissed in pain, the sting of his chest was already bad enough. Luckily he had seen where the fire sprout was. When the Chimera turned to look at him he resumed the waving and the shouting. Slowly backing up again, he only glanced down briefly to make sure he had stepped over the sprout. He continued to back up until the Chimera was now standing over the small hole. Suddenly Ed stood his ground and continued the waving and shouting. As Chimera stopped in its pace, the sound of popping filled the air. Fire erupted from the ground and engulfed the Chimera, causing it to scream in agony. Writhing and burning, the large beast fled and disappeared back into the damp swamp.

Meanwhile, outside of the swamp, Winry stood listening to the sounds of the confrontation. When she heard the loud scream that the Chimera gave, her heart soared. She took a few steps towards the the swamp to greet Ed, when she suddenly heard the sound of horses and armor. She'd been so wrapped up in listening to Ed's fight with the Chimera that she hadn't paid attention to anything else. She shot around in the direction of the sounds and paled.

Standing about 10 feet away were Amestrian soldiers on horseback. There was one royal blue soldier and two brown ones. The blue one dismounted and began walking towards her. When he was about 5 feet away, he took of his helmet. It was Basque Grand.

Winry paled even more and took a step back as he grinned evilly.

"Hello Princess, it's so nice to see that you're all right."

Winry instantly turned to run into the swamp but felt something sweep under her leg, throwing her off her feet. She hit the rocky ground hard and winced before looking up. Basque was holding his sword, still in its scabbard, and was grinning down at her.

"Oh dear, it would seem that the poor Princess is delirious. Men, please assist her."

The two brown soldiers quickly came and picked her up by her shoulders. Winry started thrashing and kicking. She recognized these men as some of Bradley's thugs.

"Ed!" Winry called desperately. "Ed!"

"The bitch is struggling too much." One of the men holding her grunted.

"Then restrain her." Basque said dryly, "We can't have the Princess injure herself, now can we?"

One of the men roughly pulled her arms behind her back, while the other quickly bound her hands with a thick rope. Once they were done, Basque approached her, still sporting that sadistic grin.

"The Prince is going be so thrilled to see you again." He whispered into her ear.

A shudder went through Winry's body at the mentioning of Selim. Suddenly Basque grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards his horse. Winry dug her heels into the dirt as she struggled against him with all her might. But is was useless, Basque was too strong.

'No! This can't be happening. Ed help me!' Winry thought as she was practically shoved towards the horses.

Ed had been resting against a tree trunk trying to catch his breath when he heard Winry shout his name. Glancing up he cursed when he saw her being dragged away by Amestrian soldiers.

"Hell no!"

Ed drew his sword and despite his limp, broken metal arm, and his many bleeding gashes; began sprinting towards Winry.

"They are not taking her." He muttered to himself. "They are n-"

A sharp blow to the back of his head knocking him to the ground. Dazed, Ed tried to get back up, but a hard kick to his side knocked him on his back.

"Stay down." A cold voice warned.

Ed opened his eyes and saw a tall man with an eye-patch standing above him with his sword drawn. He only looked at him for a few moments before the eye patched man raised a foot and kicked him in the face.

Ed's head hit the ground hard and through half lidded eyes she could see the soldiers throwing Winry over a horse and then climbing on themselves. Ed screamed for his body to get up, but he felt his strength leaving him. He let out one word before he faded into unconsciousness.

"Winry."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **It broke my heart to separate them but it had to be done.**

 **I have mixed feelings about this chapter, I don't know, I just do. Well that was my first attempt at a lemon, I hope it wasn't too bad. It was the reason this chapter took forever to write and was a pretty awkward experience.**

 **Expect Bradley to have a bigger role in the next few chapters. He is my favorite FMA Brotherhood villain.**

 **Please Review! Your input is always great.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone, thank you for all of your supportive reviews. Please keep them coming!**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry barely noticed the bumping and bouncing that came with lying across a horse like a sack of potatoes. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

'We were right there.' She thought bitterly to herself, "We were one step away from freedom and it was all taken away.' Then she thought about what Ed must be feeling at the moment and felt like crying.

'I'm so sorry Ed. After everything we've been through I got myself captured. I'm so sorry.'

"The Prince has been worried sick since you've gone missing Princess." Basque informed her as she continued to bounce uncomfortably on his horse as they rode. "There are many groups of scouts patrolling this area, I'm very happy to have been the one who found you." He grinned and ran a hand over her back. "The last service I performed for your fiancé helped me attain these new colors." He pointed to his blue uniform. "I can't wait to see what I get for this."

Winry remained silent, not having the strength to say anything. She knew where he was taking her. To him.

"My promotion didn't come without some sacrifices." Basque continued. "That brute with the Scar who you saw fit to have strike me was stripped of his position." Basque grinned. "It was kind of like a reversal of fortunes. An esteemed knight like that, guarding the Princess of the nation, suddenly sent to break up drunken brawls and clean garbage out of gutters. And I, a lowly yet loyal servant of the state is risened to that disgraced Knight's former position."

After several more minutes of riding, Basque stopped the horse. Putting his hands on Winry's waist, he pulled her up until she was sitting upright.

"It would hardly be appropriate to have the Princess bound when she is reunited with her beloved." Basque grinned into her ear. Taking out a dagger he quickly cut the rope around her wrists. "Do you promise to behave?" He put his gloved hand on her shoulder.

Winry didn't say anything and looked away from him.

"Do you promise to behave?" He repeated giving her shoulder a painful squeeze.

"Sure." Winry glared at him. "Why not?"

"Good." Basque grinned. "This is a very special moment for the Prince."

Winry continued to glare as they made their way to wherever they were going. She put her hand on her stomach where she had been roughly bouncing up and down. 'Great, more bruises courtesy of Basque Grand.' She thought in her head.

Eventually they came to what appeared to be an encampment of soldiers. There were several fires lit and many soldiers, both brown and blue, walking around. There were other teams of soldiers on horseback returning and heading out. Many people turned their heads as Basque rode triumphantly past with Winry on his horse. She looked ahead of them and saw a big tent that had soldiers coming in and out of it. One guy coming out saw them and instantly turned around and headed back in. After a few moments the tent opened again and out came Selim.

Winry felt her hands clench at the sight of him. He certainly hadn't changed in the two days since she had last seen him. He was wearing a blue military uniform, similar to the one that Bradley wore, but more extravagant. The smile that he had on his face made Winry want to jump of this horse and smash his brains in with the heaviest weapon she could lift.

Basque stopped the horse right in front of the tent and dismounted. Before he could offer a helping hand to her, Winry jumped off the horse. She straightened her gown and looked at Selim who was staring at her like a hungry dog who had just been given a bone.

"My dear." Selim walked forward and pulled her into a hug. Winry flinched at the contact. Selim pulled back, smiled at her, then turned to Basque.

"Sir Grand, I commend you for your loyal service. You have truly proven yourself to be an able and noble servant. In fact." Selim turned his gaze to Winry. "I am naming you as the Princess' new bodyguard."

Winry kept her face neutral, not giving Selim the pleasure of seeing her dread.

Selim ignored her lack of reaction. "And with this new position you will protect the Princess from all those who wish to do her harm. And above all…" Selim leaned in close to whisper in Grand's ear. "You will remember that she is my fiancé and any activities that would be inappropriate to do with a promised woman are strictly off limits...unless of course you have my consent. Do you understand?" Selim stepped back.

"Yes, your Grace." Basque said, a little disappointed.

"Very good." Selim said, then turned to the rest of the camp. "I thank you all for your service. We will return to Amestris shortly, but after the Princess has rested." He turned to Winry and held out his arm. "Winry?"

Winry shivered at hearing her name fly off his lips. She rejected his arm and walked into the tent. She heard Selim give an annoyed sigh as he followed her in.

"Is that the kind of respect that you show your savior?" Selim asked behind her.

"Savior?" Winry spat.

"Yes." Selim said annoyed, "I called upon a whole legion of my soldiers to come assist me in rescuing you."

"Assist you?" Winry turned around, "It seems like you couldn't be bothered to leave your tent to actually come looking for me."

"That's cute." Selim chuckled, as he walked over to her. "I didn't think you would care about who was searching for you."

"Then don't stand there and act like you actually care for my well being." Winry glared.

"I do care for your well being." Selim said, "A man just has to be firm in order to keep his loved ones in line."

Winry could feel her face getting red with rage. "Is that what you call having your thugs beat me bloody because you're too cowardly to strike me yourself."

Suddenly Selim's hand flew out and struck Winry across the face, causing her to gasp in surprise. She put a hand on her stinging cheek as Selim walked over to pour himself a cup of wine.

"There you go. Not so hard is it?" Selim looked over his shoulder.

"What ever happened to 'leave her face, I like her pretty'?" Winry glared at him.

"You've been in the hands of kidnappers and wandering the wilderness." Selim smirked. "Who knows what kind of injuries you could have sustained in that time." Selim took a sip of the wine.

"And I have to say." He continued. "I'm certainly surprised that you were found alone."

Winry tensed a little. "What do you mean?"

Selim chuckled, "Do you honestly think I believe that you defeated an expert swordsman in a duel or a giant in a physical confrontation?"

"How do you know about that?" Winry felt dread begin to build inside her. "Did you apprehend those men?"

"No." Selim said.

Winry let out a sigh of relief.

"But I saw plenty of signs indicating the nature of these struggles." Selim continued. "It was like following a breadcrumb trail. One battle let to another and at the end of all it I came across the body of a man who had been poisoned. Tell me, who was that man?"

"His name was Yoki." Winry said.

"And did he mention his purpose for kidnapping you?" Selim sat down in a plush chair.

"He said he wanted to start a war." Winry said.

"A war?" Selim raised an eyebrow, "Ambitious little thief wasn't he."

"Thief?" Winry asked.

"Yes." Selim's mouth formed a serpent like smile. "He stole something that was rightfully mine, You."

Winry felt disgust boil in her chest.

"You don't own me!" She gritted out.

Selim laughed at this, "My goodness, being out and about in the world has certainly made you feistier. I should let you out more often."

Selim finished his cup and placed it on the table next to his chair before standing up.

"And yes, you do belong to me. I say it's time for us to go home."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Winry hissed.

"Oh Winry." Selim said mockingly, "Please think of how the commoners would feel if I came home without their beloved princess. You should have seen them when word got out of your kidnapping. They were positively livid. I got one hell of a send off from them when I headed out in search of you. I can only imagine how they'll react to when they see me riding back triumphantly with you on my horse, placed protectively in my loving arms."

Winry scoffed, but inwardly it felt like her world was crumbling apart all over again. She'd been with Ed not half an hour earlier and now she was being taken back to that wretched castle by Selim, she glared at him. Her eyes moved to a plate with some eaten food still on it. Lying in the plate was a knife. Her eyes quickly moved from the knife to Selim then back to the knife.

'It looks sharp enough.' She thought to herself.

She was about to move for the knife when she thought of Ed. 'If I kill Selim now then they'll kill me on the spot. Ed's still out there. Before I got taken it sounded like he had found a way to beat that Chimera, or whatever it is he called them.'

Winry bit her lip.

'All I have to do is hold out until Ed figures out a way to get to me. He was hurt, so he'll definitely need several days to rest and recover. After that he'll come up with a way to rescue me. He has a whole crew of pirates with him, certainly one of them has to know how to break into a castle. Until then I just need to hold on and keep an eye out. He'll come for me, I know he will.'

The flap of the tent opened up and in came Bradley.

'Yay, it's the one eyed gargoyle.' Winry sighed in her head.

Bradley walked over to Selim and whispered something into his ear. Selim nodded with a subtle look of interest.

"Well it appears every patrol group has returned. So I say we should get on the move." He clapped his hands together.

"I'll inform the men." Bradley said, then looked at Winry. "It's good to see you well, your Grace."

Winry didn't respond as the man walked out of the tent.

"I hope you're up for riding." Selim turned to Winry, "You'll be riding with me."

"No." Winry said.

"You have a funny sense of humor." Selim turned to the entrance. "Sir Grand, please escort the Princess to my horse."

Grand entered the tent and walked towards her.

"Princess." He took hold of her arm and started pulling her out of the tent. Outside there was a regal horse waiting for her. Grand stopped, lifted her by the waist and plopped her not too gently onto the saddle. Selim came out shortly after and mounted the horse behind her. Her back was against his chest and she could feel his breath on the back of her head. Selim took a long whiff of her hair and smiled.

"This is going to an enjoyable ride home, don't you agree?" He ran his hands over her hips and thighs as he reached for the reins. Winry reached her hand down and pinched the flesh of his hand. Selim let out a hiss of pain before speaking in her ear.

"If you don't behave, then I can certainly have my men bind you for the ride home." He threatened quietly.

"I wonder how the people would react to that?" Winry drawled. Selim didn't respond.

Around them the camp was quickly packing up and mounting their own horses. Winry couldn't see Bradley among the men moving behind them. Soon a trumpet sounded and Selim kicked off, shadowed on both sides by heavily armed Knights. Behind them the rest of the soldiers rode in a orderly fashion.

'This is going to be a long ride.' Winry thought sullenly to herself.

And it was. They'd made it most of the way towards Amestris before it got dark out and Selim ordered the garrison to stop. He told her he wanted it to be bright and early for their big welcome back. Thankfully Winry was given her own tent to sleep it. Selim's was right next to hers, but if he was out of sight then he was out of mind. Winry tossed and turned for several hours before falling asleep with thoughts about Ed. The next morning she was rudely woken up by Grand telling her that they were heading out. Again she had to sit with Selim on the horse, but he mostly kept his hands to himself this time. A rider had been sent ahead of them to tell the city of their arrival.

'Selim certainly has showmanship, I'll give him that.' Winry thought, remembering her over the top introduction ceremony.

'That had been the first time Ed saw me since he came back.'

Thinking about Ed caused a pang of pain.

'I wonder what he's thinking. I hope he's not blaming himself for me being taken. It wasn't his fault.' Winry thought sadly in her head. 'I miss him so much already.'

She could feel Selim's breath on the back of her head. Winry had to hold back the growl that was threatening to come out of her mouth. 'I don't think I could ever find a person more different from Ed. For everything good about Ed, there's ten horrible things about Selim.'

The rest the ride passed in relative peace, though Winry still noted the absence of Bradley.

'Usually he's at Selim's side. What could he possibly be doing?'

Despite how absurd it was, Winry turned to look at Selim.

"Where's Bradley?"

"Excuse me?" Selim looked surprised at the question.

"Usually he follows you around like a duckling, but I haven't seen him all day. Where is he?"

Selim let out an annoyed sigh, "He's with a scouting team that's patrolling the area around us. I told him to look out for any threats. Does that answer your question?" He looked at her.

Winry turned away and resumed staring straight ahead of her.

It was a few more hours before they reached the city and Selim had been right. They got one hell of a welcome back.

The streets were lined with cheering people. They were pushing and shoving each other trying to see the passing horses. Winry could also see people standing on the buildings waving down at her. People were also tossing flowers down at them.

'Wow.' She thought incredulously to herself. 'I'm really popular.'

"Wave." Selim whispered into her ear. "They'll love it."

Winry waved, not because Selim had told her to, but because she wanted to. Even though she despised her position as Princess she held nothing against the people and their apparent love for her. As she looked through the crowd she kept an eye out for Ed. She knew it was highly unlikely for him to be here at this time, but she couldn't help but look. Seeing him, even if it was just for a moment, would make these upcoming days more bearable.

The rest of the ride through the city was the same. It seemed like every resident had congregated along the road to welcome her back. Eventually the walls of the castle came into view. The cheers of the people could still be heard as they rode over the drawbridge that separated the castle and the city. As they rode through the gate Winry saw Captain Raven with several guards saluting them. Selim's horse came to a stop and she was finally allowed to dismount. Selim took her hand and led from the courtyard through the doors of the palace. Inside, her expression brightened when she saw May standing there waiting for her. May gave her a sad smile when they made eye contact. Selim let her go when they got halfway through the room.

"The Princess has had a trying last few days." He informed May, "Make sure she is well taken care of and ready for dinner."

"Yes, your Grace." May bowed her head.

"Good then." Selim gave Winry a quick kiss on the cheek, causing her to flinch. "I'll see you at dinner my dear."

Winry walked away from Selim and headed towards her room with May at her side. When they were out of sight she felt May's hand interlock around her's and give it a comforting squeeze. Winry returned the motion and they continued in silence to Winry's chambers.

When they entered the room Winry turned and looked at May, who suddenly threw her arms around her. Winry hugged her back.

"I was almost hoping that you'd never come back." May said.

"Me too." Winry sighed.

"What happened? Are you alright?" May asked, pulling back.

"It's a long story." Winry hugged May again.

"I'm glad you're safe." May said.

"Thank you May." Winry pulled back, "It is nice to see you again." Then she noticed that May was staring at her with slightly furrowed eyebrows. Her gaze was directed somewhere below Winry's face. Winry looked down at herself, her dress was messy, but there wasn't much wrong it.

"Was is it?" Winry asked.

"Oh it's nothing. You look good." May said, waving a dismissive hand, "Your hair could use some work."

Winry giggled and stepped back. "May...I don't even know where to begin...he's alive."

"Who?" May asked confused.

"Ed." Winry said excitedly, "He's alive, May. He's alive.

"Edward Elric?" May's eyes widened, "I thought you said he was killed by the pirate Greed.

"That's the thing!" Winry exclaimed, "He is Greed! Well he didn't start off as Greed, but he became Greed's cabin boy and then got a promotion."

"I'm confused." May said. "Was he the one who kidnapped you?"

"No, that was something else entirely." Winry sat down on her bed. "There was this man named Yoki and two other men. His plan was to start a war with Creta by killing me and framing them."

"Oh god!" May put a hand over her mouth.

"It's ok, that's where Ed came in. But the other two men were actually nice."

"Nice?" May asked.

"Their names were Alphonse and Alex. Al had brown hair and Alex was a giant. Yoki was lying to them about the real purpose of kidnapping me and they were shocked when they found out."

"So where does Ed come into all of this?"

Winry spent the next half an hour explaining all of the details of what happened over the two days that she was with Edward. When she mentioned Ed's alchemy May's eyes widened.

"He is an alchemist!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, so you know of it?" Winry asked.

"Yes, I have actually met several alchemist. It's truly a fascinating ability."

"Well I just learned about it. Hey May, he also talked about a Xingese version of alchemy."

May's brow furrowed before speaking, "Oh you must mean alkahestry? I wouldn't really call it our version of Alchemy. It is used more for healing and focuses on the Dragon's Pulse."

"The what?" Winry asked confused.

"The dragon's pulse is a belief that the Earth itself has a constant flow of chi, or life energy, which flows metaphorically from the tops of mountains down to the land. It nourishes everything it passes with that energy, like blood coursing through the veins. Alkahestrists transmit this chi and use it as energy for the transmutations."

Winry stared at May in bewilderment.

"Can you perform transmutations?" Winry asked her friend.

"Unfortunately no." May said, "I've mainly studied chi."

"What's this chi thing?" Winry asked.

"Everyone has chi." May informed her. "And those who have studied alkahestry can sense it." May then closed her eyes.

"Right now I can tell that you are three feet in front of me. A person's chi is akin to their personality. So yours is always bright and warm."

"Well that's good to know." Winry smiled. "What type of chi does Selim and Bradley have?"

"You don't want to know." May smirked.

Winry continued with the story and blushed when she got to the intimate night they shared in the cabin.

"Interesting." May said herself, with a thoughtful look on her face.

"What is?" Winry asked, her blush still evident on her cheeks.

"Oh it's probably nothing...so how was the sex?" May grinned.

Winry's blush came back even stronger. "Well...it..was...amazing."

"Ohhh." May grinned even more. "Amazing huh? Now I really want to meet this Edward."

"Hands off, he's mine." Winry snapped, before looking sad. "I hope he's alright." She sighed.

"What happened the next day?" May asked.

Winry explained what happened next and how Grand snatched her while Ed had been occupied.

May let out a sad sigh, "I'm so sorry Winry, you were so close."

"I know." Winry whispered sadly, "But Edward's still out there; and he'll come for me, I know it."

"Well then he'd better hurry, the wedding is two weeks away." May said.

"I know." Winry looked down at her attire. "I should probably start getting ready for dinner, shouldn't I?"

"Probably." May replied solemnly.

"I'm not going to let it be like how it was before." Winry said determinedly.

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll be with you. Just be careful." May warned.

"It's ok May, Edward's out there and he's going to come for me." Winry said determinedly.

May smiled at her friend's optimism and faith in her Edward. She looked out the window to see the sun was setting. "Sorry to ruin the moment Winry, but it's almost time for your welcome back feast."

"Welcome back feast?" Winry said dryly.

Msy shrugged before getting a dress from the large closet. As May helped Winry get dress her thoughts drifted off.

'It's ironic that Winry and I talk about chi since hers has been so strange.' May thought. 'I don't know what it is, her chi is different than how it was before she was kidnapped. I don't know what it is. I should do some research while Winry's at dinner'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The first thing that he felt was a thudding pain in his head. Ed let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes. The room he was in was dimly lit. As he looked around he saw a dark room with several dim torches on the walls. It looked like some kind of dungeon. He felt a slight tickling sensation on his chest and leg. Looking down Ed jumped slightly at the sight of maggots crawling over the wounds in his chest. He had to strain to see the injury as he was strapped down to the table he was on. There was a strap going across his legs, waist and arms. When he moved his fingers in his hand he realized that his right metal arm had been removed.

"Oh good you're awake." Came a voice.

Ed turned his head and saw a middle aged man with two lazy eyes looking down at him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ed said.

"I'm just a doctor." The man smiled and Ed saw that he had a golden tooth. Then the man started checking his wounds.

"Where am I?" Ed asked.

"They like to call this place The Pit." The Gold Tooth doctor said.

'Well that was helpful.' Ed drawled in his head.

"Should I be happy or not happy about being here?" He asked.

The man laughed, "Oh believe me, you should not be happy."

Ed narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you treating my wounds?"

"The boss likes for his guests to be in good shape before he talks to them."

"The boss?"

"He's not here at the moment. He's taking care of some business in the castle. But don't worry, when that's all done you'll have his complete attention."

"I can't wait." Ed said sarcastically. "If you don't mind I'll think I'll take a nap while I wait for this 'boss' to show up."

"Suit yourself." The man said.

As Ed closed his eyes, his thoughts went to Winry.

'I failed her.' He thought miserably. "I failed her.'

He didn't know how long he had been out, but at this point Winry had probably been brought back to Selim.

'I swore to her that I'd never let her go back to him.' Ed banged the back of his head against the table. 'I looked into her eyes and swore that I'd protect her.'

"All I ever seem to do is let her down." Ed whispered outloud to himself.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Her welcome back feast had been as pointlessly extravagant as she thought it would be. Selim had played the role of the doting fiancé so much that she wanted to throw up. It seemed like he was milking her kidnapping for everything it was worth. But other then that it had been pretty good. She had been the center of attention, which wasn't that bad, as everyone had been very courteous to her. They were all interested in hearing what happened. She gave them a very abridged version of events. That she had been kidnapped by unknown assassins and eventually 'rescued' by some 'brave soldiers'. Selim had stepped in to give Grand a moment to shine and the people gave him a round of applause. As the dinner went along she noticed that Selim seemed irritated by something. He had a happy face on, but she could see irritation at some moments. His eyes would drift around enviously. Looking around Winry realized it was because people were focusing more on her then on him. This made her smile genuine as she tried to enjoy the spotlight even more. The highlight of the meal was when four adorable little girls in dresses came out and handed her a big bouquet of exotic flowers. Winry had smiled and accepted them gratefully.

After the meal ended, bouquet in hand, Winry found herself in the all too familiar situation of being escorted to her room by Selim. Winry remembered what happened the last time this ritual occurred. She tensed and remembered her plan in case he tried anything.

When Selim stopped outside of her door he turned expecting her to be standing there. Instead, he was annoyed to see her walking into the her room without so much as a glance towards him. With a glare in her direction he followed her in. Winry walked until she came to a stop near a table and placed the bouquet down. After that she turned to look at Selim.

"Oh, did you need something Selim?" She feigned innocence.

"I believe you're forgetting something." Selim said.

"Am I?" Winry tapped her chin as she pretended to be deep in thought.

Selim let out an annoyed growl as he advanced towards her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, unless of course you need an-"

Selim was cut off by Winry dousing a cup of wine into his face. Winry had placed it on the table before she had left for dinner and had been waiting for him to get close.

Selim let out a yelp at the unexpected liquid being flung into his face and stumbled back with a shocked expression. Winry stood there calmly as Selim tried to regain his composure. After a few moments he glared at her with fury etched on his dripping face.

"It appears you do need another lesson." He hissed.

"Actually, I don't think you'd want to do that." Winry sat down in a chair.

Selim laughed at that. "And why would I not want to do that?"

"Because after you have your thugs beat me and you go to bed feeling all strong and powerful, I'll wake up the next day and when I go to court, I'll make sure to trip on my dress."

Selim gave her a confused look. Winry smirked before continuing to speak.

"And when I trip, my dress will rip and expose a considerable amount of skin. And when people move to help their princess to her feet they'll see all of the loving gifts that my dear and beloved fiancé has given me."

Selim's eyes widened in understanding and his mouth formed a small snarl.

"And they'll start to question how exactly did the princess come to get such ugly injuries."

Selim cut in. "I can just say that you got them while you were kidnapped." He spoke trying to sound in control.

Winry stood up and moved behind her chair, "Yes that would be a valid excuse for about a week. But eventually all these bruises are going to raise some questions. It'll be the talk of the court: 'The poor, sweet Princess is being abused by the Prince'. What will the people think, the people who didn't give two shits about you until I became Princess. Remember all those citizens who lined the streets earlier today, they were there for me not you. They will never be for you!"

Selim stood there fuming, barely able to contain his rage. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Suddenly he moved forward with his hands outstretched towards her. Winry flung the chair she was standing behind forward where it collided with his legs. Selim tripped over the chair and fell on his face at Winry's feet. Winry shook her head and walked over to her bed. When she got to the side of it she looked at Selim as he pulled himself to his feet.

"If you ever raise your or anyone else's hand towards me again I will scream. I will scream louder then anything you have ever heard and everyone will know how you treat the people that you are supposed to protect."

Selim glared at her but this time didn't do anything.

"And if you hurt my grandmother I will kill you myself, because if you do anything to her, then I'll have no reason to stay in this marriage."

Selim stared at her for a few moments before leaving. Winry looked at the door after it had closed for a few moments before she burst out laughing. Selim had looked so much like a dog with its tail between its legs that she had trouble keeping it together while he had still been in the room.

"Wow, that was so satisfying." She said out loud. She fell back in the bed as she continued to chuckle. The laughter died when her thoughts once again went back to Ed. She hoped that he was alright.

"We'll be together again." She said to herself. "Soon enough."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

When Ed opened his eyes again it was several hours later. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer strapped to a table, but instead tied to a chair. He was shirtless and his right arm was still missing. His chest wounds were bandaged. He tried moving but stopped when he felt barbs digging into his flesh. The rope binding him was covered in painfully sharp barbs that pierced his flesh. When his eyes adjusted to the light he saw he wasn't alone in the room. Right in front of him was a man sitting in a chair. He was wearing a royal blue military uniform and his left eye was covered by an eyepatch. Memories of this man being the one who knocked him out came back to him. Then Ed noticed that the man was holding what was left of his automail arm and examining it. After a moment the man's one grey eye looked up at Ed and saw that he was awake.

"You're finally awake. Good. For a little while I had been worried that I finished you off too quickly." The man's voice was cold and calculating.

"Thanks for the concern." Ed said sarcastically, and looked around. "Where's Bug Eyes?"

"Patching up another one of my guests, you'll see him soon enough. But right now let's focus on the two of us." The man leaned back in his chair.

Ed narrowed his eyes at the man.

The man looked down at the automail in his possession. "This is a remarkable piece of equipment here. It's a little worse for wear at the moment but nonetheless it is one of the finer pieces of automail I've seen."

"I'll be sure to tell my mechanic that you appreciate his work." Ed said.

"How thoughtful." The man's mouth formed an emotionless grin. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're the Prince's right hand man." Ed said. "Your name escapes me, but you're the one who does the his dirty work."

"My name is King Bradley." The man said. "And if you would be so kind as to tell me your name?"

"No, I'd rather not." Ed stared the man down.

"If not your name then tell me why you were with the Princess?" The man's gaze sent a shiver down Ed's spine but he didn't let it show.

"What Princess?" Ed feigned ignorance.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to hear she's safe." Bradley continued, "Today, she received a grand welcome back from the citizens of the capital. Many were pleased to see how sweet and caring the Prince was to her."

Ed grimaced at this and Bradley's eye glimmered with a sick amusement.

"I for one think they'll make a beautiful couple. The Princess is certainly a strong one; she'll be able to give the Prince as many heirs as he wants."

Ed's grimace deepened, but he tried to not let too much emotion show.

"But as I said the Princess is a strong one. Probably too strong for her own good. She will certainly prove to be a burden for our dear Prince. In moments like that the Prince will have to be firm and unyielding. As a true ruler should be. And I believe once they are several months into their marriage the Princess will show her husband the respect and love that he deserves."

Ed let out an audible growl at this.

"But enough about the Princess, I'd like to get back to you. Who are you?"

Ed glared at Bradley, not willing to give into this man.

Bradley shook his head like he was speaking to a child. "Well I see you want to make this difficult. Let's see how your injuries are faring."

Bradley stood up and pulled his chair over to Ed's. He placed it next to Ed and sat down. His hand moved to Ed's leg, which had been bandaged. Swiftly, he undid the bandage until Ed's slightly healed wound came into view.

"You've made good progress, the wound closed up nicely." Bradley took out a small knife and placed the tip of it at the top of the wound. Bradley looked at Ed who stared back at him unflinchingly. Bradley slowly began to apply pressure with the blade until it broke the skin and embedded itself about a quarter of an inch into Ed's thigh.

Ed barely reacted.

Slowly and methodically, Bradley began to drag the knife down the wound, cutting through the flesh and reopening it again.

Ed's mouth twitched slightly at the pain, but gave no other reaction.

Bradley continued to drag the knife until he reached the end of the healed gash. Pulling the knife out, Bradley sat back to examine Ed's reaction. Seemingly mildly impressed by Ed's lack of response Bradley stood up and walked to a table in the side of the room. Grabbing a bag and a leather glove, Bradley moved back to his chair. Putting the glove over his right hand Bradley began to speak again.

"Several years ago, when I was a much younger man, I was bestowed with the task of interrogating a Drachman spy."

Bradley reached his hand into the bag and took out what looked like a handful of salt.

"Now this man had a reputation for being unbreakable, so I felt like I was going into a difficult situation. The key with dealing with something seemingly unbreakable is to find a small crack."

Bradley flung the handful of salt into Ed's wound. Ed gritted his teeth as a sharp pain burned through his leg.

"Once you find a crack, you make it bigger and bigger."

Bradley used his rough gloved hand to rub the salt into the wound. Ed let out a gritted groan as he balled his hand into a fist. After several minutes of rubbing salt, Bradley took the knife and swiftly slashed open the bandages on his chest. Ed grunted at the feeling of his skin being cut open then gave a strangled cry as Bradley began to brutality rub salt into the wound. Soon his blood began to mix with the salt and when Bradley pulled his hand away, the leather was dark red.

After a few moments to collect his breath, Ed forced a grin on his face when he looked up at Bradley.

"Is that all you've got?"

Bradley let out an emotionless laugh. "Not even close." Picking up the bag of salt, he dumped the entire thing onto Ed.

Ed let out a hiss as a whole new wave of pain rolled over him.

"Now, I have some responsibilities that I need to attend to back at the castle so I'll be leaving now. But don't worry I'll be back soon enough."

With that Bradley turned and left the room. Ed could hear the door being locked outside.

Ed let out a sigh as he tried to reign in the burning pain in his wounds. He opened his eyes and looked down at the ropes restraining his one arm and legs.

For about an hour Ed twisted and pulled with his arm's and legs trying to get them free from the ropes. As he did this he tryed to ignore the small barbs digging into his skin. He kept going on even though moving only caused the sting of his wounds to get worse. Even when the skin on his arm was raw and bloody he still kept on fighting.

'Keep going, don't give up now. She's counting on me.' He thought to himself.

Another hour later and most of the skin on his arm had been stripped off. It was made even worse when all the excess salt began to fall into the new wounds he was giving himself.

"You gotta keep going…keep going." Ed said aloud, the exhaustion of the day was getting to him.

He tried knocking the chair over, but it was firmly nailed to the ground.

Another hour later and Ed barely had the strength to keep his eyes open.

"Don't...don't give up…." He said weakly to himself. "Winry needs you...she needs you."

Eventually Ed passed out.

He was abruptly woken up by a bucket of water being doused over his head. Gasping and sputtering, Ed looked up to see Bradley looking down at him with that emotionless smile.

"Good morning. Let's have another talk."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **I'm going to do my best to keep this from becoming an Ed torture porn fic. I promise I won't make it too bad. On a lighter note, Winry stuck it to Selim, that was fun. It might come back to bite her, though. I've noticed that the Gold Toothed Doctor is almost never used in any fics and I thought he was a perfect replacement for the Albino.**

 **Please review and include any thoughts that you have. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Things always get worse before they get better.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

His lungs were screaming for air. He didn't know how long he'd been under water or if they were on dunking number 6 or 10. He tried to stay calm for as long as possible, but soon the air that he had inhaled began to run out. Soon enough he couldn't help but open his mouth and the ice cold water shot down his throat, filling his lungs.

Edward was pulled hacking and coughing from the bucket of water that so far he'd spent most of the day in. It took a couple moments of spitting up water for Ed to fully get a grip on himself. His arm was strapped behind his back and his legs were likewise to the chair. His injuries that he had sustained from the ropes had been bandaged by the Gold Toothed doctor. That seemed to be how things seemed to work around here. Bradley would torture the hell out of people and then the doctor would come in to keep the person healthy enough for another round.

"I'm beginning to theorize that you enjoy being needlessly tormented."

Ed glared up at Bradley. "You know?" He croaked in a hoarse voice. "In all this excitement I kinda forgot what you've been trying to get from me?"

"I am merely trying find out who you are and what you were doing with the Princess. I really don't know why you're being so stubborn." Bradley said from his chair.

Ed grinned, "Neither do I."

Bradley shared the grin before dunking Ed back into the bucket of water.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"So you have no idea who he is?" Selim rolled his eyes at his right hand man.

"Not yet, your Grace." Bradley responded, "He's very...stubborn."

"Stubborn?" Selim sneered, "Isn't it your job to break stubborn people or are you losing your touch?"

Bradley's remaining eye narrowed, "I can assure you, my Prince, that my age has not impacted my ability to inflict pain. Do you wish for a demonstration?"

Selim shrugged and leaned back in his overly cushioned chair, "So anyway...is there anything you do know about him?"

"He is well traveled, by ship I believe. His eyes and hair color remind me of someone I once met. And he definitely knows who the Princess is. In fact, I believe that he loves her." Bradley informed him.

Selim raised an eyebrow, "In love with her you say? Well it appears I have a competitor." He said with a grin. "How do you know?"

"I took some time to reflect on your engagement and he seemed rather upset about certain aspects. Especially when I mentioned any intimate details."

"Intriguing." Selim said. "Very, very intriguing. When he does crack and you learn everything that you can, keep torturing him anyway."

"As you command." Bradley said. "May I ask why?"

"I want to see the true extent of what we can do to the man she really loves." Selim grinned. "Maybe on our wedding night, I can show her what's left of him as a wedding gift. Let them be together one last time before I slit his throat in front of her." Selim laughed. "After that, she probably won't even put up a fight when I strangle her on our marriage bed."

"What a tragic ending to a promising marriage." Bradley said as he poured himself a cup of wine. "They'll be weeping in the streets."

"Exactly." Selim took a sip of his own wine. "Ironically, we should thank this mystery lover of her's for stopping Yoki from killing her. Having her die on our wedding night just after I had rescued her is a much more compelling ending than what we originally planned."

"How is your fiancé doing by the way? I believe she gave you some trouble if I'm not mistaken." Bradley asked.

Selim frowned, "Yes, her little adventure has unfortunately given her a backbone. It's probably that one-armed prick's fault. He must have given her the spirit to fight or something like that."

"Clichéd, yet possible." Bradley shrugged.

"Flay the skin off of one of his fingers for me." Selim ordered.

"Your word is my command."

"Now back to situation of my marriage. The people need to be fearful of what might happen. I want everyone of them to be worried for the Princess's life."

Bradley thought for a moment. "How about we say there are spies hiding in the Thieves Forest. And that there is a plot to kill the Princess on your wedding night."

"Good." Selim looked happy, "I like it. That's why I keep you around. Now you finally have a reason for ridding us of that damn place."

"Shall I handle this personally?"

"No." Selim said, "I want you to return to the pit. Captain Raven will clear out the forest."

"Raven sir?"

"I'll admit he's a complete fool and a sycophant. But he'll do anything to impress the Crown. He will take this mission with no hesitation."

"I'll summon him at once." Bradley said before exiting the room. A few minutes later he returned with Raven who immediately saluted Selim. He was an older man with white hair and a beard.

"My Prince! How may I be of service?"

"No need for such formalities captain. Now as you are well aware my wedding to Princess Winry will be upon us soon."

"I'm sure it will be a great wedding your highness." Raven said with so much flattery that Bradley rolled his eye.

"Anyway, I have received reports of a possible threat to the Princess' life. Reports that say assassins are hiding in the Thieve's Forest waiting to strike on my wedding night." Selim spoke as he put his feet on the desk in front of him, leaning back into the chair.

"My god...how horrible." Raven said, with more enthusiasm than was necessary.

"Your orders Captain, are to take a garrison of soldiers, let's say The Brute Squad, and go to the Thieves Forest. There you will round up every criminal, whore, and thug that you find. Through any means necessary you will interrogate these vermin to discover whether these rumors of assassins are true. If there are those who fight back, and there will be, kill them." Selim spoke nonchalantly.

Raven stood at attention, "My lord, it shall be done." And with a bow for added effect, he left the room.

"See." Selim smirked, "He'll do anything for glory."

"That's a very common desire around here." Bradley stood up, ready to take his leave. "You should be expected in court soon, my Prince. Is there anything else?"

"Your counsel." Selim responded. "What should I do about the Princess?"

"Didn't we just discuss this?" Bradley said almost mockingly.

"Not that." Selim snapped, "Her blatant disrespect for me and almost complete disregard for my commands."

"What do you intend to do about that?" Bradley monotoned.

"What can I do?" Selim snapped. "I told you what she's threatened me with."

Bradley stared at Selim with his usual emotionless face.

"Well?" Selim said, irritated. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to suggest something?" Selim reached over to pick up his glass of wine. When he brought it too his lips he jumped in surprise to see Bradley standing directly over him.

"What are-?"

Bradley slapped the chalice of wine out of his hand.

"You idiot-" Selim was cut of by Bradley slapping him across the face. Selim clutched his cheek in shock, staring up at Bradley with wide eyes.

Bradley shook his head and slapped Selim again.

Selim yelped and then glared at Bradley. "Stop it!"

Bradley just slapped him again.

Selim started to stand up. "As your Prince I order you-"

Bradley grabbed Selim's forehead and pushed him back so that Selim hit the chair and it toppled over. Sore and embarrassed, Selim's face was red with fury.

"Stop it!" He shouted.

"Why?" Bradley said.

"Because I am ordering you." Selim whined from the ground.

"Why should I listen." Bradley kicked Selim hard in the gut, causing the Prince to curl up as he gasped and wheezed.

"I-I-I'll h-have you executed for this." Selim whimpered pathetically.

"At the moment, I don't feel like respecting your authority." Bradley said as he walked away. "What are you going to do about it?"

Selim stood up on shaky legs. Pulling out a knife that he usually had on him, he charged at Bradley. He was stopped when Bradley spun around lightning fast and grabbed his throat. He swung the dagger, but the blade itself was caught by Bradley.

"Good." Bradley said, as he pushed Selim off of him and straightened his outfit.

"What?" Selim asked confused. "What the hell was that?" He shouted angrily.

"I simply chose not to respect your authority." Bradley said.

"Why?"

"Because I felt like it." Bradley said as he moved to pour himself and Selim two cups of wine.

"You're obviously trying to teach me something." Selim said. "What is it?"

"When you become king, you will encounter circumstances like that one that just occurred between us. You are encountering one with the Princess as we speak."

"You ignored my threats but you ended it when I tried to kill you." Selim said. "What are you suggesting that I do?"

"Words solve some problems." Bradley said. "Actions solve all of them."

"I'll have to do something." Selim said mostly to himself. "Something that will take that threat of her's and tear it apart. I'll have to tear her apart, break her spirit. "

"Think about it." Bradley clinked his cup against Selim's and then drank from it.

Selim looked down at his own cup, then a grin formed on his face.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The only sound that could be heard in the room was the sound of nails scratching against wood. For the last few hours Ed had been trying to carve a transmutation circle in the wood. He only had his nails to do so and that was proving very difficult. He had started with his index finger but had stopped when he could no longer use it. His nail had eventually fallen off and the finger was covered in splinters and blood. He's tried to draw the circle with blood, but it was too messy to make a coherent circle. At the moment he was using his middle finger to pick up where his index finger left off. If he had to guess he was about halfway through making the circle. He couldn't work on it when Bradley was here or when the Gold Toothed Doctor showed up.

The bug eyed man had very poor bedside curtesy. He didn't try to be gentle with dressing the wounds. He did nothing to help any of the pain, he actually made it worse. Ed suspected that the bandages were soaked in something that caused a burning sensation in the wounds.

"Almost there." He told himself, "Break out, get Winry, run like hell."

He stopped in his movements when he heard the sound of the door unlocking. He was going to have to pick this up later. When the door opened three men came in and walked over to him.

"Good evening." Ed grinned at them.

Suddenly one of them lashed out, cracking Ed across the jaw.

"It is isn't it." The cold voice of Bradley could be heard throughout the room as another man punched Ed in the gut.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Basque Grand sighed as he walked up the staircase that led to the Princess' chambers. The Prince had recently told him to keep a closer eye on her and look for any weaknesses to exploit. As he came down the hallway he heard the sound of raised voices coming from inside the Princess' room.

"You bumbling idiot!"

'That sounds like the Princess.' Grand thought to himself.

Opening the door he looked inside to see the Princess glaring at her Xingese handmaiden who was shrinking away from her.

"Why can't you do anything right?" The Princess yelled, not noticing that Grand had entered the room.

"I didn't mean it, your Grace." The girl said timidly.

"Oh really? You didn't mean to spill an entire chalice of scalding water on me?" The Princess yelled. Grand noticed that the front of the Princess' dress was wet.

"With all due respect, Princess." The servant said with more confidence. "I was simply standing there when you walked into me."

Suddenly the Princess slapped the girl across the face, knocking her to the ground. Grand raised his eyebrows in surprise, he'd never seen the Princess act like this before.

"How dare you." The Princess hissed, then looked over and saw Grand was standing by the door.

"What do you want Grand? Does Selim want something?" She asked irritability.

"No, your Grace." Grand said before awkwardly exiting through the door.

Winry stared at the door until the sounds of Grand's footsteps faded away.

"May! Oh my god, are you ok?" Winry said worriedly as she moved to help her friend up.

May chuckled and declined Winry's help. "I'm fine." She said as she stood up.

Winry was still concerned. "I know you told me to hit you, but I didn't mean to do it that hard."

May laughed again, giving Winry an encouraging smile. "Believe me, I've had worse. And besides the alternative to this would be a lot more unpleasent. You did good Winry, I think he bought it."

Winry gave a small smile. "Thank you for that May."

"Your welcome." May said. "Though, it was also in my self interest."

"I'm sorry we had to do that May." Winry said sadly. "It's my fault that you're even in danger."

"It's a danger that I happily accept." May said.

"If Selim hurt you I'd never forgive myself." Winry said.

"Hey." May said. "I'm in this with you till the end. Until Edward gets in contact with you, I'll be here."

"Thanks May." Winry's smile turned into a frown. "Selim's time in court should begin soon. I'm sure I'm expected to be standing supportively by his side."

"It could be worse." May shrugged.

"True it could be." Winry agreed. "Which puffed up doll outfit do you think would be fashionable for today?"

May thought for a second. "How about that simple blue one? You look like the real you when you wear that one. Not some snobby bitch." May said teasingly.

"Sounds good." Winry said.

"Winry." May said. "Can you promise me something?"

"What?" Winry said.

"Don't do anything to antagonize Selim, please." May pleaded.

"I didn't plan on it." Winry said. "I just want him to keep his distance."

Later Winry was walking towards the throne room with Grand behind her. As she walked down the hallway she looked to the side and stopped. Walking away from her down another hallway was a large man in a brown outfit with grey hair. Winry quickly took off after that man, ignoring the annoyed complaint from Grand. Walking as fast as she could with her heels she eventually caught up to the man. She put a hand on the man's arm and stepped in front of him. Looking up, her gaze met a very surprised Scar's.

There was a moment of silence before Winry smiled.

"Hi." She said.

"Princess..." Scar said, still surprised at seeing her.

At this moment Grand caught up to her and grabbed her sharply by the arm.

"Where do you think you-?"

Grand stopped talking when his wrist was grabbed by Scar and he was wrenched away from Winry. There was a moment when the two men just stared at each other, before Grand smirked.

"Well well well, look who it is. What are you doing so far up in the castle. Isn't there a drunken brawl that you should be breaking up?"

Scar just glared at Grand, until Winry stepped between them.

"Go away Grand, I wish to talk with this man." She said in a low voice.

"Make it quick. We have places to be." Grand snapped before he turned to leave.

Winry glared at Grand for a few seconds before turning back to Scar.

"How have you been?" She asked. "It's been awhile since I've seen you."

"I've….been well." Scar said quietly, not looking her in the eye.

"What is it?" Winry asked.

"Nothing, your Grace." Scar said, finally meeting her gaze again. Winry could see guilt in his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault." She said. "You were sick."

"I should have been there." Scar said, angrily. "It was my duty to protect you and I wasn't there when I should have been."

"Nothing happened to me." Winry implored. "And...I'm glad it happened."

Scar gave her a confused look.

"I can't really explain. But getting kidnapped was actually the best thing that could've happened to me...don't look at me like that, I'm not crazy." Winry folded her arms.

"If you say so, Princess." Scar responded, then looked over at Grand. "It's not right that he is your bodyguard."

"Believe me I know." Winry sighed, "But it's not that bad. He hasn't hurt me sin-" Winry stopped herself, but Scar still heard her.

"What?" He said with a growl.

Winry was silent for a moment before talking. "Selim found himself a personal thug To keep me in line."

Scar scowled.

"Don't worry about me." Winry said, with a small smile. "I've got something to keep him away for the time being. And it's not going to last much longer."

She suddenly wrapped her arms around a startled Scar's waist in a hug. Looking at Grand she was glad to see that he wasn't looking.

"Thank you for everything." She said. "I think of you as a friend."

When she pulled back she smiled up at Scar again then glanced to the side as Grand walked over to them.

"Let's go." He said in a bored voice.

"In a second." Winry barked, then gave Scar one last smile.

"I just wanted to thank you for your service and wish you good day." She ended it with a formal bow, then turned to head back down the hallway. 'Should I have told Scar more about what Selim's done to me? No, as strong as Scar is, Selim has an army. I don't want to involve him anyway, he could be killed.'

Down the hallway, Grand looked at her retreating form before looking at Scar again. "She is a very lovely girl isn't she? I very much enjoy being around her. Although I'm not allowed to touch her myself, I can certainly fantasize about it." He grinned at Scar's scowl and then moved to follow Winry.

Winry stood in her usual spot in the royal court, which was just next to Selim's thrown. As Winry looked around the large room she noticed all of the familiar features. The throne itself was at the top of some steps and at the end of a long carpet that led all of the way to the end of the hall. The throne itself was made of very elegant wood and gold. It was also rather large so Selim had plenty of room to lean back in it.

There were large pillars following the rug down the room and right now they were flocked with the high and low of society. It had been a long tradition that once a week the King would sit in his thrown and hear the grievances of all those who came before him. Because of the poor king's failing health, Selim had taken over this tradition.

Winry was waiting for it to begin when Raven came out of the crowd and stood in front of the throne.

'What is he doing?' She thought to herself.

"Captain Raven, are your men ready?" Selim said.

"Yes, your Grace." Raven bowed.

"Excellent. Now go forth and deliver the King's justice." Selim gave Raven a wave and with that the grievances began.

Selim didn't try very hard to hide his boredom. The whole time he would just sit there in a slouched position, barely listening to the peasants before him. Some of them had only minor problems while others were serious and life threatening. The man talking at the moment had one of those.

"-and if the dam does give way, your Highness, then the entire village will be flooded." The elderly man said shakily. "Men, women, and children! All of them will die!"

"Then move to a place that's not below a dam." Selim said irritated.

"We can't, your Grace. There is no where else to go."

"There are always places to go." Selim said dismissively.

"All I ask is for a mere handful of builders to come and fix the dam. It was built by royal craftsmen two hundred years ago." The man said desperately.

"So you want me to send my builders, who have duties of their own to perform here?" Selim asked. "Do you not have builders of your own."

"Yes, your Grace." The man said, "But they are not nearly-"

"Then I've heard enough." Selim waved his hand. "Fix your own dam. It's not the crown's problem."

The old man stood there with his mouth open for a few moments before he turned and began to shuffle out of the hall. He stopped when Winry's voice rang out.

"Isn't every problem in the kingdom the crown's problem?" Winry asked Selim as she stepped out from the sidelines. All eyes in the hall turned to her in surprise, including Selim. She had no idea what she was doing. This probably wasn't the best idea in the world. But she couldn't help herself, she was sick of Selim's cruelty.

Selim's look of surprise quickly turned to irritation as he spoke, "My dear, shall I send my builders every time a commoner breaks his table, or raise an army every time a man is robbed on the road?"

"No." Winry said, calmly. "But the crown should step in when its people are in danger."

"Danger from what?" Selim snapped, "From the dam that they have allowed to fall into disrepair and are unqualified to repair?"

"When a man becomes a knight, they swear an oath to protect the weak and the helpless." Winry said louder so that the whole hall could hear her. "As the man who will one day lead these knights into battle, it only seems reasonable that you should follow the same code of honor…your Grace." She could hear Grand shifting uncomfortably behind her. With a pleasant smile, Winry turned to look at the old man who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, could you please remind me of the name of your village?" Winry smiled.

"Youswell, my Lady." The old man responded.

"Youswell.." Winry said thoughtfully. "If I'm not mistaken, you have a significantly rich gold mine in your town right?"

"Yes, we do."

"Gold is a very valuable substance." Winry turned back to Selim. "I believe some of the gold on that throne came from the Youswell mine. Well if that's the case then the crown should send builders immediately to protect such a valuable source of wealth. Do you agree, my lord?" Winry said to Selim in a sweet voice.

All eyes turned back to the Prince who was simmering in his throne. Selim eventually regained his composure and sat up straight on the throne. There was some snickering around the room. "Well then I'll reconsider, will five men be good enough?"

Winry wasn't sure if the question was to her or the old man from Youswell.

"Five men will be good m'lord." The old man said then turned to Winry, "Thank you, your grace."

Winry bowed gracefully before turning and moving back to her spot next to the throne. She could hear people muttering to themselves over what they just saw. Glancing up she saw Selim could hear them too.

For the rest of the afternoon Selim was much more generous with his rulings. Winry smiled the entire time. She knew that there would be some consequence for this stunt of hers, but for now she was happy to have helped people.

When she left, she didn't notice the long scathing look that Selim gave her.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

" _If you don't mind I'll have my gold back along with the sword."_

" _Well boy, if you wish to duel I suggest you fix your grip on the handle."_

" _Come now boy. If you really want to kill me. You're going to have to try harder than that?"_

Heavy lids slowly opened as Alphonse woke up in the dirt. Above him, a squirrel was staring down at him from a branch. He groaned as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his head aching. His feet bumped into empty bottles of wine as he stumbled to his feet. Lurching back and forward Al tried to make his way back to where his tent was set up. He walked past wooden cabins and open fires. There were small children fishing in a stream and women hanging clothes on lines. It went on like this for miles. There were miles and miles of shabby and low ridden homes. Full of people living off of crops grown, animals hunted, and water collected. Everyone who had fled the capital in fear of the crown. Other people had come because they had nowhere else to go.

The Thieves Forests.

The infamous forest was more of a refuge center then the den of villains that the name hinted towards. While there were a fair amount of less than noble people, most of them were just desperate.

Tripping on a log Al fell heavily to the ground. He lay there for a few moments, waiting for the world to stop spinning. As he lay there a dog came over sniffed him and then walked away. Eventually picking himself back up Al heard an angry voice behind him.

"Hey Blondie!"

With a groan, Alphonse looked over his shoulder. Looking through his dark golden hair at the man coming at him.

"There you are! You stole my wine, you drunk!"

'Who the fuck is that?' Al thought to himself.

The man swung a fist that Al easily dodged by moving his head. Even though he was very hungover, he still had his reflexes.

'What was I doing last night?' Al thought to himself. "I was either playing cards or arm wrestling someone.'

Last night he'd gotten especially drunk, because all everyone in this damn place ever seemed to do was talk about the Princess. They all talked about how happy they were that she was safe and sound. The guilt of almost being apart of her death was still fresh in his mind. So whenever sometime toasted to "Long live the Princess!" Instead of the usual "Fuck the Prince!", he couldn't help but drown himself in alcohol.

Al shook himself out of his thoughts and focused back on the situation at hand. "Look man." He slurred his words. "I won those bottles fair and square." He was guessing.

"You cheated!" The man swing again and Al ducked under it and stumbled away from the man. This action caused Al to go light headed so he was easy prey to be tackled from behind. When his eyes cleared he looked up to see the guy looking down at him.

'How did I end up on my back?'

The guy brought his fist back and punched Al square in the jaw. Al didn't feel the blow, yet it knocked his face to the side. Looking next to him, Al could see a stick. The man raised his fist again but Al grabbed the stick and struck the man across his face. The man fell off him with a groan and AI slowly worked his way to his feet. Stumbling the rest of the way to his tent. It wasn't much, a ragged cloth stretched over bent pieces of wood.

Falling to his knees he dragged himself into the makeshift shelter. Al closed the flap of the tent behind him and passed out.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry was smiling as she ate her food. She was right now talking with some of the other ladies on the table. She wasn't friends with them or anything, far from it. It just annoyed Selim when she acted happy. Selim had been quiet for most of the dinner, with a crafty smile on his face. Winry was halfway through a conversation about today's events when her stomach began to feel uncomfortable. Wincing slightly, she ignored the feeling and continued on with the meal. The uncomfortable feeling turned into a burning ache as she felt herself beginning to sweat.

'What is wrong with me?' She thought.

"My grace, are you all right?" A person a little down from the table asked with concern.

"I'm all right, thank you." Winry put on a grin as she took a big sip of water. Damn, when did she suddenly feel so hot.

"It feels like you have a fever." Selim said as he placed a hand on her forehead. His concern almost sounded genuine.

"I said I'm fine." Winry pushed his hand away but had to grab on to the table when she suddenly felt light headed.

"That's it." Selim said, standing up. "Dinner's over. You're not straining yourself." He took her shoulders.

"I don't need help." Winry grumbled, but couldn't resist as her head was swimming.

She heard Selim chuckle and say something about her being more stubborn than any of his soldiers, which got some laughs from the table.

Grand came and took her from Selim.

"Take the Princess to her chambers. I'll be along shortly." Selim said.

"Yes, your Grace." Grand nodded, and gently led her out of the room. Once the doors of the chamber closed and they were out of sight Grand stepped away from her.

"You heard the Prince, to your chambers." He gave her a push, causing her to stumble and fall. As she lay there the heat in her body seemed to increase and she was full blown panting.

"Come on Princess. Certainly you can beat a little cold." Grand pulled her up and gave her another push down the hallway. She kept her balance and began to stumble towards her chambers. When they got to a staircase she had to lean against the wall as Grand was not offering her any help. Her arms left sweat stains as she made her way up the stairs. Her head was now throbbing, the pain beginning to border on agony. Halfway up she had to stop and catch her breath.

'What...is...wrong..with…..me?' She thought to herself. Grand gave her another push and after a while she finally got to the top of the stairs. The pain in her head had now moved to her stomach. It felt like she had swallowed flames and now her organs were on fire. Suddenly Winry was struck by wave after wave of nausea. Yet no bile rose in her throat.

After what felt like an eternity of walking and being pushed by Grand, they finally made it to her room. She opened the door herself and when she did, Basque gave her a shove sending her sprawling to the floor as she heard the door close behind her.

"Winry!" She heard a distorted voice say.

'Ed?' She thought.

Opening her eyes she looked up to see May looking down at her. She blinked then blacked out.

When she opened her eyes again. She was in her bed and she could smell something strange. Her head was resting against the headboard and when she looked down she saw May holding a cup of hot tea directly below her, with the steam coming up to her nose.

"Good you're awake." May said.

Winry looked over at her friend who offered the tea to her. She tried to talk but her throat was dry and strained.

"Drink the tea. It's a Xingese healing recipe. The vapors should have already brought down your fever."

Winry noticed that her head was considerably less woozy. Finally she spoke.

"What happened to me?" She croaked.

"Your drink may have been drugged." May said.

"What?" Winry's eyes widened.

"It was just a potion to make you very ill. It'll pass by the morning. Has the tea helped?"

"Yes, thank you." Winry took a sip.

May sighed. "I told you, you were swimming in dangerous waters."

"I can live with a little fever." Winry said. "If Selim wants to break me then he has to try a lot harder than that."

"Or." May jumped in. "You don't provoke him at all, so you can spend the rest of your time here in peace."

"I was standing up for people that he would have deprived of help." Winry grumbled before wincing at new wave of headaches. "If this is the cost of helping people then so be it."

"The tea helps with the fever." May said. "It doesn't get rid of it, so rest."

"Fine by me." Winry rolled over.

May checked her forehead before moving to sit in a chair next to the bed. Winry quickly fell asleep.

When Winry eventually opened her eyes the room was black. She groaned at the thudding in her head as she looked around. Her eyes stopped when she saw the dark outline of a figure standing next to the bed.

"May?" Winry croaked out.

Suddenly a match was lit and then used to light the wick of a candle. Winry's eyes took a moment to adjust to the new light and when they did she saw Selim standing there holding a candle.

"Hello sweetheart. Are you feeling better?" He asked with a smile.

Winry tried to push up into a sitting position. "Y-you poisoned my drink, didn't you?"

Selim smiled, "I don't know what you are talking about, love. All I know is that you suddenly became terribly ill in front of everyone. Hmm I daresay that you won't be going to court for a while. So sad, the people will miss your...input." He finished with a grin

"What a-are you d-doing here?" Winry asked, her breathing uneven. Her heartbeat began to quicken as she realized how vulnerable she was at the moment.

"I'm simply coming to see how my beautiful fiancé is doing." Selim said sweetly as he placed the candle down. "Now, let's get a good look at you."

Moving slowly, Selim began to crawl on the bed towards her. Winry tried to move, but found herself barely strong enough to lift her arm. All she could do is watch as Selim came towards her with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"May!" Winry tried to shout, but came out as a loud whisper. Where was she?

"I told your maid to take the night off." Selim said, "A few of my men are making sure she's doing just that."

Winry gasped, 'What has he done to her?'

"So now we have all the privacy in the world." Selim was hovering over her.

Suddenly Selim smashed his lips against her's in a brutal kiss. Winry stiffened and pushed her hands against his chest in an attempt to get him off, but to no avail. She was too weak. Selim grinned into the kiss as he forced his tongue through her lips into her mouth. Her eyes clenched shut as his disgusting tongue began slithering around her mouth. She tried to claw his face but he grabbed her hands in his and painfully pinned them to the bed. Winry let out a pained whimper as he rested his full weight on her. She was completely pinned and unable to fight black.

"You thought you could tell me what to do?" Selim said as he harshly bit her lips. "You thought you could humiliate me in my own throne room?" He pulled back and began to slide his tongue over her face. "Actions have consequences, Winry." His hands came down and roughly pawed her breasts. She gasped and turned her head in an effort to escape. But it was hopeless! She was trapped and helpless to stop him as he violated her body.

"That was a clever threat that you concocted, but I can be gentle." Selim said as he nuzzled his face against her neck. His hand was covering her mouth preventing her from screaming. "But, I'm sure no one will raise too many eyebrows at a little love bite." Selim bit down on the area where her shoulder met her neck, causing Winry to yelp in pain. Selim chuckled as he licked over the abused flesh. Tears leaked out of her eyes, only to be lustfully licked up by Selim.

"Even though you are ill, you still taste divine, sweetheart." Selim said he pulled back from her face, his hand still groping her chest. "And your breasts are absolutely mouthwatering..oh I cannot wait till our wedding night!" He grabbed handfuls of her blue dress and ripped it open.

Winry let out a sob, never before had he'd been this awful. Desperately she grabbed his arms and dug her nails into his flesh. Despite her weak state, she still managed to break his skin. Selim reacted with a snarl and removed his hands. Winry only had a moment of peace before he violently grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Tears formed in her eyes as he buried his face in her chest. "Remember what I said about love bites?" He chuckled before biting down painfully causing Winry to scream. Winry was openly crying at this point as she lay trapped under his body. She could feel his arousal pressed against her.

'Please stop! Oh god. Get him off me!' She thought.

Biting back another sob, she mustered the rest of courage and glared up at Selim when he pulled back.

"You do what you have to." She gritted out. "And then go to hell."

Selim chuckled, "Aren't we all?" He ran his hands up and down her sides. "As much as I have enjoyed this passionate moment between us, I fear I must go. I wouldn't want to get too carried away now would I?"

He gave her one final rough kiss and a grope of her breasts before getting off her.

"Pleasant dreams. Just remember who is control here." He said before exiting the room.

Winry waited until he was gone before breaking down completely. Sobs wrecked her body as she pulled the blankets in to cover herself. Looking down at her chest, Winry gasped when she saw that her breasts were covered in bite marks and bruises. Her neck still stung from where he had bitten her and his foul taste still perverted her mouth. She brought a weak hand to her lips and when she took it away she saw blood. The candle that Selim had lit was still going. Reaching over to a night stand she grabbed a handheld mirror and looked into it.

Winry's face was a mess. Her hair was messy and roughed up, her lips swollen and bloody. His saliva stained her cheeks and mixed with the salty tears running down her face. The rest of her face was puffy and red. With a cry of despair, Winry threw the mirror across the room and heard it shatter on the wall. She fell back on the bed and hugged herself. Never before had she felt so dirty, so..violated.

'Oh god Edward! Where are you?!'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed was once again awoken by a bucket of ice cold water to the face. This happened every time he fell asleep and so far in the last few days he'd only gotten a few hours of sleep.

As Ed spit the water out of his mouth his tired eyes turned up to Bradley, who was sitting calmly in a chair.

"Don't worry." He said. "I'm not going to hurt you right now. But we are going to talk."

"About what?" Ed's voice came out like a strained whisper through his battered and bruised lips.

"History." Bradley said, "One that I think we share."

"The hell are you talking about?" Ed finished this by spitting a glob of blood on the floor.

"During our time together, I have been struck by nostalgia whenever I have looked upon you and I find that very distracting. Up until a few minutes ago I didn't know what it was, but now I have come to a conclusion...you're Van Hohenheim's son."

"….what?" Ed asked confused.

"It's quite remarkable, you're the spitting image of him. I assume that you are the little shit that stole my sword."

Maybe it was the days of endless torture, but Ed was very confused.

'Hohenheim..Hohenheim..where do I know that name?'

 _I swear on the name of my late father Van Hohenheim, you will make it to the top of this cliff alive_.

'That's it!' Ed's eyes widened. 'He's talking about Alphonse's father..wait.' He looked at Bradley. 'He's the man who Alphonse is looking for.'

Ed felt a smirk form on his face. "Sorry, but I think you have me confused with somebody else. Van Hohenheim's son has brown hair and brown eyes. I've met him, he told me about you."

"Actually I believe you are the one who is confused." Bradley said. "Hohenheim's hair was as golden as his eyes. His son had similar hair, though a little darker." Bradley looked at Ed's hair for a moment. "Darker than yours too. And you don't have the scars that I bestowed on that brat. Well if you're not the son from that night, you must at least be related. I've never met anyone else with such distinctive features and trust me I have met many people. Tell me, boy, do you know who your father is?"

Ed frowned, all he knew about his father was that he existed somewhere. His mother had meant to tell him his name but the disease had struck so suddenly that she never had a chance. He also knew that he had a...brother who lived with his father.

Ed's swollen eyes widened, 'It can't be! Alphonse had brown hair! But what if he dyed it? And the eyes could have been contacts. I did feel some strange connection to Alphonse but...'

Ed remembered his mother describing his father as a man with many talents. Alphonse gave a very similar description for his own father.

'If this is true, I fought my own brother in a duel! The brother I spent so many years looking for and I could have killed him! Damn it! We were right there but we didn't know it!'

"It looks like you've had a bit of a revelation." Bradley said.

Suddenly it hit Ed. The man who was sitting in front of him right now. The man who was torturing him, may have killed his father.

Bradley recognized the look of hatred glaring at him from Ed's eyes so he started to talk.

"Earlier today the Princess was very disrespectful to the Prince in front of the court. By now he should already have dealt her an appropriate punishment. I highly doubt she'll be so immature again."

"You bastard!" Ed snarled as he struggled against his bindings. "Let me out of this chair, you coward! Face me like a man."

Bradley chuckled, "That wouldn't end well for you. No, I'll let you stay in the chair." Bradley stood up. "Well I just wanted to clear that up, thank you for being so cooperative." Bradley patted Ed's battered face. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."

If looks could kill then Bradley would have died as he walked out of the room.

"My brother.." Ed said to himself. "I have a brother."

He thought about what Bradley had said about Winry.

"Hold on Winry. I'm not giving up." Ed resumed carving the transmutation circle into the wood. He was now using his ring finger so progress was very slow.

"So close. Just a little bit longer."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"When you want to go in for the kill, go for the throat." May said as she held a small knife in front of her. "The is a kunai knife so you won't be able to cause large wounds. But you can easily conceal it. Make it quick, make it swift."

Winry took the knife and held it in her hands.

"Stab me." May said.

"What?" Winry said surprised.

"Stab me." May said.

Winry held the knife up.

"Make your grip firmer." May instructed.

Winry did so and looked uncertainly at May. May was staring at her with a look of determination.

Several hours after Selim had left her Winry was found by a frantic May. She had gotten away from Selim's men using a hidden knife and had gotten to Winry's room as quickly as possible. She was horrified when she found Winry in the state that she was. May had cleaned Winry's injuries, given her calming tea and some new clothes. Right now May was teaching Winry how to use a knife.

"Don't worry." May smiled reassuringly. "Three of Selim's men couldn't hurt me."

May hadn't killed any of them, just threatened them until they let her go.

Winry held the knife in her hand and thrust it at May only to have it instantly caught and pulled out of her grasp by May.

"You need to be quicker." May said, then pointed towards a wooden sculpture of a horse. "You need to practice handling that knife daily." She handed the blade back to Winry.

"Ok." Winry said, then moved over to the sculpture and started stab at it with the knife. "I'll kill Selim the next time he touches me." She said darkly. "I don't care what happens, I'll kill him."

May stiffened at this, unsure of what to say. Winry looked over and saw that her friend was biting her upper lip.

"What is it May?"

"Winry...I don't think we can wait for Ed much longer." May spoke quietly.

"What!"

"Winry, it's been a week."

"He'll come May, he will come for me!" Winry practically shouted. It seemed like she was talking more to herself. There was an awkward pause before Winry went back to practising with the knife.

May sighed and then looked a little guilty. "Winry, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Winry asked, pausing in the knife practising.

"I just want to let you know that I just figured this out and I haven't been hiding it from you." May said nervously.

"Figured what out?" Winry asked confused.

"When you got back, your chi was different. I didn't know what it was at first. After reading a passage in a book from Xing, I'm pretty certain of what it means.." May paused, unsure of how to tell her.

"Just spit it out May." An impatient Winry said.

"Ok." May took a breath before looking her square in the eye.

"Winry...you're pregnant."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **And thus the plot thickens. I hope you don't hate me, t** **his was a rough chapter.** **But don't worry, what goes around comes around. Stay tuned and please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry its been a little while since the last time I updated. Life. Adding a baby to the mix was a last minute decision, but I'm glad I did it. Last chapter was a bit of a rough one, I don't think this one is as bad. Thank you for you're reviews, keep them coming.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

" _Dad, can you tell me about my brother again?"_

" _Alphonse, I thought you were asleep."_

" _Please dad, can you tell me?"_

" _Alright, alright, Al. But after this will you go to sleep please?"_

" _Yes dad."_

" _Alright then." Von Hohenheim sat down next to his son's bed. "Your brother's name is Edward. He's about a year older than you." Hohenheim smiled at the thought of his eldest son. "His hair is lighter than yours, like mine. But he has your golden eyes."_

" _Can you talk about mom too?"_

 _Hohenheim's expression fell slightly at this. "Tricia..she was better than anything I could ever deserve."_

" _Don't say that dad." Alphonse implored._

 _Hohenheim waved a hand dismissively. "Don't listen to me. I'm just trying to say that your mother was truly an angel. She was the most beautiful and kindest women that I have ever met. I would really wish for you to meet her one day."_

" _Why is she far away?" Al asked innocently._

 _Hohenheim sighed, "It's complicated Al, a war tore our village apart. We were taken somewhere and they were taken elsewhere."_

 _Al pondered this. "But we are going to find them right?"_

" _Yes." Hohenheim said. "Yes, we are. I have been looking for years and I am never going to stop looking."_

 _Al smiled. "That's good, dad. I'll help you when I'm older."_

" _Yes you will." Hohenheim smiled and gave his son a goodnight kiss on the head. "Good night Alphonse. Tomorrow you can help me finish that sword."_

 _..._

 _Alphonse stood there frozen, his mouth hung open and his eyes widened in horror._

 _Blood..so much blood. Standing before him was the man who'd visited them a week ago. In his hand was the sword he and his dad had made. He'd heard his father and this man arguing but where was..._

 _Al gasped, laying dead on the floor with a large gash across his neck was his father Van Hohenheim._

 _"D-Dad!" He screamed._

" _This is a very nice sword boy."_

Alphonse opened his eyes and shot up with a start. He'd been woken up by a scream outside. Grabbing his sword, Al crawled out of his tent and stood up. All around him it was chaos. People were running in random directions and there were houses and trees burning. Soldiers in brown uniforms were chasing people and destroying everything in sight. He saw them bashing men over the head with the butt of their weapons and tearing screaming children away from their mothers. Men on horseback were circling unarmed civilians and striking at them with swords. Small children ran screaming through the burning tents and were trampled by the horses.

'How the hell did this happen?' Al thought sluggishly to himself. Last night he'd woken up and had gotten drunk again.

A soldier in front of him was beating a man into the ground. Glancing up he saw Al staring at him. With a grin the soldier threw the bloody man to the ground and advanced towards Al. 'Aw shit!' Al thought as he began fumbling with his sword, unable it get out of the scabbard. Al looked up at the approaching soldier only to be struck across the face. The blow knocked Al to the forest floor; the throbbing in his head even worse now. He hit the ground hard and found himself unable to get up. 'Fuck why did I get so damn drunk!' He cursed himself. A sharp kick to his stomach knocked the wind out of him.

Suddenly he felt his sword being pulled out of his grasp. He winced and opened his eyes to see the soldier examining his father's sword. The man grinned before looking down at Al "This is a fine blade, now where did a filthy gutter rat like you find this?"

Al growled, "Give it back! That's mine." He struggled to get to his feet.

The man kicked him viciously in the chest, Al fell back on his side. "No I don't think I will, I think you stole this sword you piece of trash. And because you stole it, it is my duty to reclaim it from you." The man grinned before kicking Al in the head.

That final blow did it in for him, he was flat on his back and beginning to fade. He could see the man walking away with his father's sword. 'No, gotta stop him. I can't lose it.' Al tried to sit up but couldn't find the strength.

Suddenly, something very large came into view and struck the man down with a single blow. Al tried to focus but his vision was blurring more with every second. Before losing consciousness he felt large hands lifting him off the ground.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Winry you need to calm down!" May said exasperated. Winry had been pacing the room frantically for the last 20 minutes.

"Calm down! Calm down! Give me a reason why I should calm down!" Winry said as she ran her hands through her hair. "I couldn't have picked a worse time to be pregnant!"

"Stress isn't good for the baby." May replied with a weak smile.

Winry stopped and stared at May incredulously before sighing. Sitting down on her bed, she put her face in her hands.

"May...what am I going to do?" She asked.

"I...I don't know." May said quietly.

Winry looked up with worried eyes. "If Selim finds out...oh god, I don't know what he'll do."

May nodded, "It's definitely Ed's?" May asked.

"Yes it's Ed's." Winry snapped before growing more solemn. "Ed's and mine...our child." She opened a nearby drawer and took out the ring that Ed had given to her and put it on. She'd kept it hidden from Selim and had only worn it in private.

"If Selim finds out, he'll kill it." May said. "God knows what he'll do to you to accomplish that."

"That's not going to happen." Winry said determinedly, while placing a protective hand on her stomach, "He is not going to hurt my child!"

"Winry." May said cautiously. "I don't know if we can wait for Ed anymore. It's not just your life that we have to worry about. It's your child's."

"I know." Winry said sadly. "Why haven't I heard from him? He would have at least given me a sign that he's out there."

"Maybe he's just being cautious." May said. "Selim has increased the number of troops around the castle."

"Ed's better than that." Winry said before her eyes went wide with nervousness. "What if something happened to him? What if he was hurt too badly at the swamp? What if they caught him?" She was almost hyperventilating at this point. Beads of sweat were running down her face.

"Winry calm down." May said.

"I can't!" Winry cried, sitting back on the bed her head in her hands.

"We need to get you out of here." May said.

"How?" Winry said, "Selim's having me watched 24/7. We can't just walk out."

"We'll find a way." May said. "Somehow."

"If only we could get a message to Ed." Winry said.

"Where would Ed go?" May said. "If you could think of a place that he'd hide to think of a plan what would it be?"

Winry thought for a moment, "Resembool, he might go to Resembool. But Selim's having that place watched."

"Not too closely." May said, "The only actual contact from what I hear is that a bag of coins is dropped off every week for your grandmother."

"Where'd you hear that?" Winry asked.

"I asked around." May said. "Some guys will say anything if they get drunk enough."

"Good to know." Winry said. "If that's the case then Ed would probably go to Resembool."

"Ok then." May said. "Then I'll go tonight."

"What?" Winry looked up in shock.

"I'll sneak out of the castle and find Ed." May said.

"No May." Winry said, standing up. "I can't ask you to do that."

"I know, that's why I'm volunteering." May said.

"They'll kill you." Winry said.

"Only if I get caught." May grinned.

Winry let out a sigh, "This is insane."

"It is." May agreed letting out a nervous breath.

There was silence in the room as the two girls stared at their feet.

"How will you get out?" Winry asked after a few moments.

"This castle has many ancient passages that I could use." She paused for a moment. "What if you came with me?"

"I can't." Winry said, "Grand has been poking his head into my room at night to see if I'm here. If we ran for it, they'd know within an hour. We'd never make it. And besides, I'm the Princess. I'd be recognized by anyone we bump into."

"Damn it." May said before looking directly at Winry. "I'll leave tonight. I'll go to Resembool and if he's not there...I'll still find him."

"If you can't find him, don't come back." Winry said, startling May. "Save yourself."

"I won't leave you here with these people." May said determinedly.

"I won't let you get killed because of me." Winry said.

"You're my friend Winry. We're in this together." May said.

Winry gave a small smile. "What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

"You didn't have to do anything Winry." May smiled. "Now if I'm going to sneak out then we'll need to come up with an alibi. In case people wonder where I am."

Winry chewed her lip as she was deep in thought. "How about you got sick and I dismissed you so that you could get some rest."

"Getting sick?...Do you think people will buy it?"

"Remember yesterday at dinner, everyone saw me become ill. You're my handmaiden so they'll think you got the illness from being close to me." Winry said.

May nodded her head. "But it won't fool Selim or Bradley. They poisoned you remember."

"Well..after last night it might make sense, in their opinion, if you were avoiding them." Winry spoke hesitantly. May frowned and nodded. A several minutes of silence passed before Winry spoke.

"May, you said that you could feel my baby's chi?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Wh-what does that mean exactly? What do you feel?" She said nervously.

May smiled, "The baby hasn't begun growing yet, and it will be several months before it begins to show.."

"Then how can you feel it? It's only been a little more than a week since Ed and I had sex." Winry blurted out before blushing.

May crouched down in front of Winry and put her palm on Winry's lower stomach. "In Xing we believe that life begins at the moment of conception Winry. That is what I feel, life." May lowered her hand an inch. "Right here, I sense a tiny spec of life."

Winry let out a breath, her hand shaking as she looked at the area May was pointing to. "Right here?" She asked, her voice thick with emotion.

May nodded, "Right there."

Winry brought a hand to her mouth, tears were forming in her eyes. "May...I'm going to be a mother! Can you believe it?" Tears of happiness were streaming down her red cheeks.

This was a rare sight for May, Winry's happiness tugged at her heart strings. "I promise you Winry, that I will do anything I can to protect you and this child."

"Thank you May, thank you so much."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

" _Come now boy. If you really want to kill me. You're going to have to try harder than that?" The man said with a taunting smirk._

 _Al's breaths came out in pants, his eyes blurry with tears. Blood was running down his face from the fresh wounds that he had just received. He looked down at his father's sword in his hands, the one that had cost him his life. He heard the man speak again._

 _"Are you crying? Oh please, don't just stand there. Be a man." He said cruelly._

 _Suddenly a new voice was heard._

 _"Al...Al...Alphonse?"_

Al's eyes shot open, he didn't know where he was. He couldn't see and he had a splitting headache. He shot up in the bed only to be pushed back down by a large hand.

"Don't move." He heard a deep, familiar voice say.

"A-Alex?" He said with a hoarse voice. The reason he couldn't see was because there was a damp cloth over his eyes.

"What...how...where are we?" Al stumbled with his words as he brought his hand up to remove the cloth.

"The Thieves Forest." Alex responded. "Or what's left of it."

Al removed the cloth and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. Slowly sitting himself up, Al saw that he was in a ransacked cabin. The bed that he was in was torn up and shredded. Alex was leaning over him with a concerned look on his face. Standing up, Al walked past him to look out of a hole in the wall. Outside what has been a lively community of people living together was now barren and lifeless. All the tents were knocked down. All of the cabins were ransacked. Many of the trees and grass was burned. Black crows flew over butchered corpses that were strewn across the ground.

"What happened here?" Al asked as he turned to look at Alex. It was then that Al noticed that Alex was wearing the brown outfit of a soldier.

"Alex, what the hell are you wearing?" Al said with slightly narrowed eyes.

"A soldier's uniform." Alex said guiltily. "After the job with the Princess I didn't know where to go. I tried to find you but..." Alex trailed off before continuing. "I ended up in the city and got into a fight with some men in a pub. I went in there looking for you." Alex looked at Al. "Some soldiers saw me and offered me a job in the Brute squad."

Al narrowed his eyes at the mention of the Brute Squad. The Brute Squad were the worst of the worst. A gang of murderers and rapists in royal uniform. The Prince's right hand man Bradley had formed the group about eight years ago. They were widely feared for their brutality and depravity. Breaking out of his thoughts Al resumed listening to Alex.

"I took it because I'd get money and a bed out of it. I think they would have tried to kill me if I didn't."

"Ok." Al nodded in understanding. "What happened here?"

"I was in the Brute Squad barracks when the Captain of the Guard, Raven, comes in. He told us that the Prince had ordered us to clear out the Thieves Forest and round up as many people as possible."

"Why?" Al asked again.

"I'm not entirely sure." Alex shrugged. "Something about assassins."

"Assassins huh...do you know who they were after?" Al asked.

Alex paused and thought to himself. "I'm not sure."

"Anyway." Al said. "Did you desert the Brute Squad? Pretty ballsy thing to do."

Alex grinned. "Well the ones that saw me help you certainly protested, but not for long."

"I'm sure you gave them the classic Armstrong method of persuasion?" Al grinned too.

"A method that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" Alex said triumphantly as he flexed his muscles. As Alex said this his eyes widened.

"Winry! The assassins were after Winry!" He exclaimed.

"The Princess?" Al said incredulously. "Again? What did she ever do to have so many people trying to kill her."

"Some soldiers said they were Cretan assassins." Alex said.

"Cretans again?" Al scoffed. "Why do assassins always have to be Cretans." Al laid back on the bed, before his eyes widened.

"It has to be the same guy." Al said, staring up at the cieling. "The one who hired Yoki to start a war. Yoki's dead but that guy is still out there. He's probably got other assassins."

"Maybe." Alex said. "So Winry's life is still in danger."

"She's in her castle. She should be fine." Al said. "Hey Alex. Remember the man in black?" He sat up.

"Yes I do." Alex said. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, not really." Al replied. "He did give me an annoying bump on the head though...he was the greatest swordsman I've ever met. I don't think I'll ever meet someone like that again."

"He was also very good at hand-to-hand combat." Alex said.

"Yeah, what exactly happened after his duel with me?" Al asked.

"Well Yoki took the Princess and told me to kill the masked man with a rock. I decided to play fair and give him a chance, he ended up choking me out."

"He beat you in a physical confrontation?" Al said amazed. "Huh, I didn't think I'd ever see the day. I heard that they found Yoki dead. How'd he die exactly?"

"Poison from what I hear." Alex replied.

"That bastard got what he deserved." Al said almost to himself. "So was the masked man working for the Prince? When I talked to him it seemed like he knew Winry."

"He was very concerned for her well being when we confronted each other." Alex said.

"Same for me." Al said. "They definitely knew each other."

"He..he kinda reminded me of you." Alex said.

"What?"

"Just in the way he acted and talked, it was similar to you." Alex shrugged.

"Yeah there was something familiar about him." Al muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. 'I wonder if there's any ale left?' He thought to himself suddenly.

"But.." Alex said. "If he was working for the Prince, you would think he'd be awarded for saving her."

"You're right." Al said, glancing around. "Didn't some random knight who apparently stumbled upon her get all of the glory?"

Alex nodded, "Yes, Sir Basque Grand. He was promoted to her bodyguard, though I heard he's not a kind man."

Al was silent for a moment thinking. His thoughts went back to his interaction with Winry on the boat. "Hey Alex?"

"Yes."

"I think Winry was, and probably is still, being abused by the Prince." Al said glumly.

Alex's eyes widened. "Why would you think so?"

"Remember her arms, all of those bruises? How does a Princess get roughed up like that. And some of things she said to me; it was like she was scared of the Prince." Al said grimly. "The man in black was trying to save her, but not just from us."

Alex was silent. "Poor Winry. If you're right then she's being hurt right now."

"Yeah, but what are we supposed to do about it?" Al asked solemnly.

"I...don't know." Alex said, deflating a little bit.

"There's nothing to do. I like Winry but it's not our problem Alex." Al said. "And even if it was, what the fuck can we do? Storm the castle? Fight the Prince's army, then ride off into the sunset with the rescued Princess? We weren't the best of friends with her remember. I doubt she'd jump at the opportunity for another trip with us"

Alex sighed, "I just wish I could help her. I want to make up for what we put her through."

"Well that's life." Al stood up and walked over to some broken whiskey bottles on the ground. "Sometimes, a person can never make amends; and life just goes on as if nothing you do ever matters." Finding an unbroken bottle of whiskey, Al began to drink from it.

Alex watched Al wearily. "You haven't started drinking again, have you?"

"I have." Al said before taking another swig.

"Don't." Alex said taking a step towards him.

"Why not?" Al snapped as he continued to empty the bottle. "It's not like there's anything else I could be doing."

"Don't do this to yourself. Last time you almost drank yourself to death!" The large mustached man said, starting to get angry.

"Thanks for the concern Alex, but you're talking to a lost cause." Al grumbled as he found another bottle of whiskey.

Suddenly, Alex sat up and moved quickly towards Al. With one swipe of his large hand, he knocked the bottle out of Al's hands.

"Dammit Alex!" Al shouted. He reached for another bottle but Alex smashed it with his hands. With a snarl Al swung his fist into Alex's chest. It felt like hitting a stone wall. Suddenly large hands gripped Al's shirt and lifted him off the ground. Al stared down at Alex with wide eyes as the large man glared up at him.

"Now listen here Alphonse Hohenheim, I am not going to let you drink yourself to death." Alex spoke determinedly before tossing Al onto the bed. The bed broke upon impact and crashed loudly to the floor. Al lay there dazed and dusty for a few moments before rolling off the bed and grabbing his sword. Stumbling to his feet, Al pulled the sword out of its scabbard and held it threateningly in front of him. Alex stood his ground and clenched his hands into fists, daring Al to make a move. Never before had Alex ever looked so big and intimidating. Al glared at Alex for several moments before his look of anger began to disappear and he slowly lowered the tip of his sword until it was touching the ground.

"I..I'm sorry Alex." He said quietly.

"What happened Al?" Alex said. "The man I knew would never despair so quickly."

Al gave a humorless laugh and shook his head. "And how would you describe this man who you knew? A thug, a thief, or how about a murderer? Because that's what I am, Alex. Shit...my father told me that I would get the best education. That I had a bright future ahead of me. But then it all got taken away!" Al practically shouted. "Now look at me. My father is dead! I have no home! I'm a thug, a sellsword who kills for his next meal. I'm also a failure, I swore that I would find my missing family and avenge my father's murder. But I've done neither. Fuck, Yoki was right. I couldn't even stand up to Yoki! He was going kill Winry right in front of me and I didn't do a thing to stop him. Guess I'm a damn coward as well." Al muttered as he held his head in his hands.

Alex listened to these words silently. After a few moments he spoke loudly. "There's no real nice way to put this Alphonse but...GET OVER YOURSELF!" With that he ripped his shirt off.

Al's jaw dropped in shock.

Alex continued, "BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO PEOPLE! THEY HAPPEN TO SOME PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY DO TO OTHERS! AND WHEN THEY DO HAPPEN TO YOU, YOU DON'T JUST SIT THERE AND FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF! YOU GET UP AND YOU KEEP ON MOVING BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN!" To emphasize his point he struck a very masculine pose.

Al stared open mouthed at Alex for several moments before breaking out into fits of laughter.

"Since when were you ever the voice of reason?" Al said as he tried to control his laughter.

"The art of reasoning has been passed down the Armstrong Line for generations!" Alex proclaimed proudly.

"Hasn't everything been passed down the Armstrong line?" Al chuckled.

"Incorrect! Chest hair has not been passed down the Armstrong line since five generations ago!" Alex said.

Several seconds of awkward silence passed before Al put his sword away. "Put your shirt back on Alex, let's get out of here."

"Where are we going to go?" Alex asked as he began buttoning his large shirt back on and grabbing some metal gauntlets.

Al paused and looked out at the ruins that were once the Thieves Forest, "Anywhere but here." He said glumly. "Hey what time of the day is it? I need to see if any of my stuff is safe."

"Um." Alex thought. "About midday, I think."

"Ok good." Al said, "Let's go."

The two friends exited the cabin and began to walk through the devastation around them. Al walked between the fallen tents, trying to find his own. Eventually he found it but all of his belongings had been taken.

"Fuck!" Al cursed as he kicked a nearby stone. "Look at this place!"

Although it was called the Thieves Forest, only a few of the people living there had been thieves. The rest were people who'd lost their homes or families. After the Prince had raised taxes many families had lost their homes or fell into debt. The Thieves Forest had offered a sanctuary for anyone in need. It was a home to to men, women, and children; young and old alike. Now the forest was destroyed and it's people either dead, imprisoned, or displaced.

"Captain Raven ordered us to round up anyone who we found and to kill all those who resisted." Alex said sadly as he looked at several bodies that hung from trees. His large fists clenched when he saw one of them was a boy no older than nine. "He received his orders from the Prince."

"The Prince ordered this?" Al said with disdain as a crow landed on the boy's shoulder and began to peck at his face. "Guess I was right about him. But why would he do this? There's searching for assassins then there's massacring unarmed civilians!"

"Perhaps he had other interests in mind." Alex spoke as he stepped over a charred tent. "I heard some soldiers saying that he was amassing other soldiers outside of the capital."

Suddenly their attention was drawn by a scream in the distance. They turned and saw brown armored members of the Brute Squad. They appeared to have surrounded several survivors. There was a brown haired girl with a pink tint in the front standing in front of several small children.

"These are just children!" The girl cried. "What threat could they possibly pose to the Princess?"

The men surrounding them laughed at this. "Well you never know, girly." one of them said. "Assassins come in all shapes and sizes."

One of the men grabbed the girl by the arm and tugged her away from the children and pushed her on the ground. He moved to get on top of her when he was pushed away by the man who had just spoken.

"Hey Bald, she's mine."

"No fair, Barry!" Bald whined.

"I don't care." Barry said dismissively. "Help the Slicer brothers with the little assassins."

Bald let out an annoyed grunt and surrounded the children with the other two men.

Barry flipped the struggling girl on to her stomach and spoke into her ear. "You and I are going to have some fun now. And when that's done I'm going to introduce you to my second favorite toy." Barry patted a large cleaver like weapon strapped to his belt.

"Hey assholes!"

All four of the men stopped and turned towards Alphonse who had drawn his sword. Behind Al, Alex put on the two steel gauntlets that he had acquired during his brief time in the Brute Squad.

"Who the fuck are you?" Barry barked as pushed the girl's face into the dirt.

"Hey Barry." One of the Slicer Brothers said as the three men turned away from the children. "The big guy with the mustache. That's the deserter."

"A deserter huh?" Barry grinned as he stood up. "Well then men, shall we continue to distribute the crown's justice?"

Bald and the Slicer Brothers pulled their swords out.

Barry looked down at the girl trembling by his feet. "Don't move, lovely. I'll be right back." He then pulled out a long dagger in one hand and his cleaver in the other. The other three men moved towards Alex while Barry focused on Al. "So who the fuck are you, Blondie?" He sneered.

"No one of consequence." Al said grimly as he glared at the man in front of him. "But I suggest that you walk away, leave the girl and children alone. Or else."

Barry stopped in surprise before bursting out in maniacal laughter. "Are you threatening me you little shit?"

"Maybe." Al grinned. "What are you gonna do about it?"

The man laughed again. "Kill you. What else?" Barry charged forward and swung the cleaver at Al. Al brought his sword up and blocked it. Barry brought his other hand forward to stab Al with the knife but was stopped when Al knocked the hand away with the handle of his sword. Doing this required Al to take his sword away from the cleaver allowing it to come down. Luckily Al was quick enough to dodge the blade. He jumped back and raised his sword in front of him as the two opponents circled each other.

Elsewhere, the three men circled off as they surrounded Alex, who stood calmly in the center with his fists raised. The first one to make a move was Bald who charged from the side and slashed at Alex. Alex quickly blocked the blade with his gauntlet and pushed against Bald causing him to stumble back and fall over. The Slicer Brother's attacked together both swinging their sword at Alex from opposite sides. Alex brought both his hands up and blocked the blades with the back of his armored hands. The two brothers gasped in surprise at the man's incredible strength. Alex ducked back and removed his hands causing the two swords to connect. Alex took advantage of this moment and swung at one of the brothers, hitting him directly in his helmeted face. The metal of the helmet dented and the sound of more than metal cracking could be heard. The man was sent flying back.

Al swung his sword at Barry, who blocked it with his cleaver and knife. Barry then brought his cleaver back and swiped at Al's blade, knocking it back. Barry took advantage of this moment to charge at Al, swinging his weapons wildly. Al stepped back gracefully, blocking every swipe that Barry threw at him. He took this time to observe his opponent. Barry was pretty heavily armored, except for his face. However when Barry raised his cleaver and brought it down, Al saw that his armpit was exposed.

Alex dodged and blocked the attacks of his two remaining opponents. For a man his size, he was surprisingly fast. The remaining Slicer and Bald were now on both sides of him, ready to charge. An idea popped into Alex's head and when they charged he sidestepped them. Bald was holding his sword outstretched and was unable to move it fast enough. The blade moved past Slicer's sword and hit him right under his helmet and above his chest plate. The sword pierced Slicer's throat and came out the other side. Bald blanched and tried to pull the blade out of his dead partner. He stopped when he felt a large shadow come over him. He looked up to see Alex standing above him with his hands raised above his head. Alex brought his fists down with all of his might and they smashed into Bald's head. A sickening cracking sound filled the air and Bald fell to the ground.

Barry's knife slashed a small line across the shoulder of Al's shirt. Al stepped back then swung the sword at Barry's head. Barry blocked the blade and pushed it away. Al suddenly dropped to his knee as if Barry's push had knocked him off balance. Barry grinned and brought his cleaver and dagger above his head to bring to stab Al. Just when Barry started to bring his weapons down, Al lunged up and stuck his blade into the opening in Barry's armpit. The blade slid easily through Barry's flesh and bone and came out the side of Barry's throat, severing Barry's ear as well.

As Al pulled his sword out of Barry's corpse he looked up at Alex. He grinned when he saw that his friend was okay. Sliding his sword back into his scabbard, he turned to the girl on the ground.

"Are you okay miss?" He asked as he held out a hand.

The girl glanced at his hand hesitantly before taking it. "Yes, thank you." She murmured shyly.

The children who had been standing fearfully off to the side quickly ran over to the girl and clutched her skirt.

"Are they orphans?" Al asked looking down at them.

"Yes." The girl said sadly. "Their parents were killed by One Eye during a bread riot."

"One Eye?" Alex asked.

"The Prince's right hand man, the one with the eyepatch. He just cut them down with no hesitation."

"I see." Al said. "Do you need help?"

"You've already done so much. Thank you." The girl said. "I think I know a safe place that I can take them. Once we get out of this forest we should be fine."

"Well then." Al said, sliding his sword back into its scabbard. "I wish you good luck."

"Thank you." The girl said and took the children's hands behind her. "Good luck to you too." With that the girl and the children moved quickly into the trees leaving Al and Alex alone.

Al turned to Alex. "Ready to keep going buddy?"

"What should we do with the bodies, Alphonse?" Alex asked as he looked down at the four dead soldiers.

"Leave them." Al said. "It's as much respect as they showed these people."

"Their absence will eventually be noticed."

"Yeah, but we'll be long gone by then. Come on let's go." Al said as he began walking down a random path with Alex behind him.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"His name is Edward Elric." King Bradley informed the Prince.

"Edward Elric." Selim repeated. "So the truth cometh forth. What was it that finally broke him?"

"Nothing." Bradley said with a hint of annoyance. "I sent men to the Princess' home town of Resembool and had them inquire about any young men with blonde hair and golden eyes. Apparently a young man with that description lived at the Rockbell house two years ago. But he was thought to have died at sea."

Selim huffed in annoyance. "Why can't you break this man? Doesn't it just take a certain amount of pain to break someone. Everyman has a limit, why can't you find his?"

Bradley remained emotionless. "I have to admit that Mr. Elric is far stronger than I had initially thought. He just takes everything I've done to him and carries on. Something is keeping him going. Something is keeping him from giving in."

"If you're implying that it's his love for Winry please give me a bucket so I may vomit into it." Selim rolled his eyes.

"I've been hearing whispers from the common folk. The Princess hasn't been seen publicly since she fell ill yesterday." Bradley informed him.

"She's sick, it happens. Her adoring fans will simply accept that." Selim sighed, "If all goes well, I can keep her confined to her chambers until our wedding. We don't want her pulling any more stunts."

"On the subject of illness, my men have reported that the old woman's condition has not improved. It seems to have gotten worse actually." Bradley spoke in a monotone voice.

Selim scoffed, "What do I care about that old hag. She is irrelevant at this point. As long as the Princess is there at the altar and the ceremony is completed, then our plans will have succeeded." He spoke as he sat up and walked towards his window.

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Bradley said. "But with the Forest cleared and concern for the Princess in the air, we should stay the present course."

"Continue working on Elric." Selim said. "I think I'll visit him soon. Fill him in on the happenings of the country." Outside the window he could see storm clouds forming in the distance.

"I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see you, my Grace." Bradley drawled as thunder sounded in the distance.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Out in the countryside the storm had already begun. Al and Alex were trudging along as the rain beat down on them. The rain had come pretty suddenly. It started off as a small sprinkle before suddenly pouring down as if heaven itself was crying. The dirt road they were walking on was quickly turning into mud. The wind was howling and lightning could be seen in the distance.

Al was walking ahead of Alex. Looking up at the pouring dark sky, he turned around.

"We need to get out of this!" He shouted.

"What?" Alex asked, unable to hear because over the wind.

"We need to get out of the rain!" Al shouted again, louder.

Alex nodded in understanding, "I agree."

Al looked around, squinting his eyes to see through the rain. "Where are we?"

"I don't know." Alex responded.

Looking farther down the road, Al saw dim lights in the distance. He looked back at Alex and pointed in the direction of the light.

"There's a light down the road! Let's go to it!"

Alex nodded again in understanding. "Good idea."

Together, the two men struggled their way down the street until they saw that the light was coming from a house. It was a somewhat large house that was up a bit on a hill with a path leading to it that started at the road. There was a sign at the end of the path. They couldn't make out what the writing on the it was, but by the symbol on it they could tell this was the home of a blacksmith. Without much hesitation Al and Alex hurriedly climbed the hill and stopped at the door. Al got to it first and started knocking.

"Hello!" He called, trying to be louder then the storm. "We're caught in the storm and need shelter!"

They stood there for a few moments waiting for a response.

"Let me try." Alex said, pushing past Al.

"Hello!" His loud voice boomed. "We were traveling along the road when we got caught in the storm. Could we please have some shelter?"

There was another moment's pause before they could faintly hear the sound of the door being unlocked. It opened to reveal a small old lady with big glasses.

"You're not murderers are you?" The old woman croaked with a hoarse voice.

"Uhhh." Al and Alex looked at each other briefly before looking back at the woman. "No."

"Then come in." The old woman said before suddenly falling into a fit of coughing. Al and Alex shared another look before heading in.

Walking inside the two of them stopped in the center of the room. They could see a kitchen from where they stood. On it were two sets of plates and silverware.

'I guess someone else lives here.' Al thought. He and Alex turned to look at the old lady as she once again coughed violently while closing the door.

"Well." She rasped, "Welcome to my home."

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Alex asked.

"I'm fine." The old lady said. "Just a cold. Now the two of you should probably get into some warm clothes."

The old woman walked away from the door, but stopped when she got a good look at Al. She stared at him for several moments, mouth open and eyes slightly wide. Al shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Is there something wrong, ma'am?" He asked.

The woman shook her head, "It's nothing...you just look…nevermind. For you, you'll find some clothes in the guest bedroom, but they'll probably be too small for you. They may also be a bit dusty, they haven't been worn in years." She looked at Alex as Al went up the stairs. "I don't think I have anything for you." She said, looking him up and down.

"A warn fire will be good enough for me." Alex said.

"Well there's a fire pit in the kitchen and wood next to the pantry." The woman said before coughing a little bit. "My names Rockbell, Pinako Rockbell."

"Thank you, Ms. Rockbell." Alex said as he moved into the kitchen.

"So...where are you two going in such weather?" Pinako asked, attempting conversation.

"Nowhere in particular really." Alex said as he tossed some wood into the fire pit. "We were just traveling."

"That's one way to get to a place." Pinako responded.

Alex lit the wood using a flint. As he stood up he glanced at the plates on the table. "Pardon my asking but is there another resident in this house?"

Pinako stilled, before speaking quietly.

"There used to be."

Alex glanced over at Pinako, hearing the sadness in her voice. Pinako stood there, seemingly staring off into space. She only broke out of her stupor because of another fit of coughing.

"Are you sure you're alright, ma'am?" Alex asked.

"Yes..I'm..fine." Pinako said.

Al walked into the room, wearing new clothes that were a little small for him. Alex couldn't help but grin at the sight of this.

"Shut up." Al said. "Only until my clothes dry." Then he turned to Pinako. "I thank you for offering us shelter. If there is anything that we can do for you name it."

"Can you cook?" Pinako asked.

"The Art of cooking has been passed down my family for generations." Alex responded.

"That's really starting to get annoying." Al muttered.

"Well if you want to make us all food feel free to use the kitchen." She looked at Al. "You two can stay in the guest room if you want."

"Are strangers common around here?" Al asked.

"They use to, but less people seem to be traveling nowadays." Pinako said, eyes trained on Al as she moved into the kitchen.

"Maybe it's because of all the soldiers that have been running around lately." Al said. He looked over and saw Pinako staring at him again.

"I don't recall learning your names." Pinako said.

"Oh." Al said with a slight blush. "My name is Alphonse Hohenheim."

"And I'm Alexander Louis Armstrong." Alex said from across the room.

"Nice to meet you two." Pinako said before looking back at Al. "Does the name Elric mean anything to you?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Are you sure that you want to leave in such weather?" Winry said as she looked around. She and May were standing in an arch that led to the wall of the castle. The wall stood over a river that was quite turbulent at the moment. They had snuck out of Winry's room after Grand had checked on her so they knew that they had a good hour to themselves. Thanks to the storm, there was no one around to see them. Winry didn't know exactly how May was going to get out, but she guessed she'd find out soon enough.

"Now's the best time, especially with this weather." May said. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"It's too risky." Winry said. "The second they find me missing, Selim and Bradley will tear up the countryside looking for me. You've heard what happened to the Thieve's Forest. It could be like that everywhere!"

"Well then." May said sadly. "I guess I should get going."

"Ok." Winry said, before pulling her friend into a hug. "Thank you for everything May."

May hugged her back. "We'll see each other again."

"Remember, Edward has an automail arm, golden hair and eyes, and likes to wear black. If you want to be safe, ask him what color the candles in the swamp house where. The answer is blue." Winry informed her.

"Ok." May nodded. Then stepped back. She looked down at Winry's stomach.

"I can already tell this is going to be healthy baby. It's parents are strong."

"Ed's probably going to faint when I tell him about it. I can't wait to see his face." Winry said with a smile.

May smiled too, "Just hold on Winry. This is all going to be over soon."

"See you then." Winry said.

May looked around before walking over to a wall that was above the river. There was a tapestry on it. May reached behind and pressed something behind it. There was a clicking sound and suddenly the wall opened up to reveal a hidden staircase. May turned back to Winry, "If you ever need to escape Winry, remember this passage."

"I will." Winry said firmly.

"And don't forget to keep your knife close." May said with a nod before stepping into the passage. There was a another clicking and the wall began to close.

"Good luck." Winry said.

"Stay safe." May said before she disappeared from sight.

Winry let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall behind her. She could hear May's footsteps on the other side until she was too far away.

'Everythings going to be okay.' Winry thought before looking down at her stomach. 'May said it will be months before you start to show. I can't wait to meet you.'

Winry stepped off from the wall and had to walk back out into the rain to get back to her room. As she stepped out she he froze when she heard a voice behind her.

"Out for a midnight stroll Princess?"

She spun around and gasped in horror when she saw Basque Grand standing behind her. He was leaning against the arch, in normal clothes as opposed to his usually uniform. He smirked at her reaction and kicked off the wall, walking towards her.

"It was the strangest thing." Grand stepped out into the rain. "I had just finished checking on you when I stopped to piss in the privy. When I came out I saw you and your little friend sneaking out of the room. I followed you and boy did I learn a thing or two."

Winry stared at Grand in horror as he came to a stop in front of her.

Grand chuckled, "So you have a baby inside of you? And this Ed fellow is the father. I'm sorry but the last time I checked you were set to be engaged to the Prince. I don't know about you but when a woman spreads her legs for one man, while being engaged to another, that's infidelity. And unfortunately for you, being unfaithful to royalty is an act of treason. And treason is punishable by death."

Winry stared up at him as he continued to talk.

"Aww, come on." Grand said with a sick smile. "There's no need to look so scared. You should be glad that I'm the one who found out. Anyone else would be dragging you to the Prince right now."

Winry finally found her voice. "Why haven't you?"

"Because." Grand's grin widened. "I don't want to. I've got something else in mind."

Winry took a step back and found herself against the railing of the wall.

"I'll keep my mouth shut about your situation and when you marry the Prince everyone will think that it's his. But that's still a week away. Until then I think I'll...indulge myself."

Winry's eyes narrowed in understanding, her hand moving behind her dress.

"Don't look at me like that." Grand said as he moved closer trapping her against the wall. "It'll only be for a week. Think about your baby." He patted her stomach. "You let one man fuck you to get it in there, now let another one have his fun so it can stay that way."

Grand grabbed her chin and leaned down for a rough kiss. As his lips pressed against her's her hand finally found what it was looking for.

Grand closed his eyes and grinned into the kiss. Suddenly his moment of bliss was cut short when Winry buried all four inches of her knife into his throat.

His eyes flew open and he let out a gurgled gasp as Winry yanked the knife out and stabbed him again. He pushed away from her, clutching his bleeding throat as he choked on his blood. Grand stumbled back, away from the railing. Winry jumped after him, bringing the knife down with both hands. Grand raised his hand to block it and ended up being stabbed right through the hand. He gave a gurgled groan of pain and slapped Winry across the face with his other hand. Winry was knocked back, but caught herself on the battlement. The wind hallowed and the rain poured down onto both of them. The knife was still in Grand's hand. With a whimper, he raised his injured hand and brought his other up to pull it out. Winry ran forward and pushed on his hand so that he ended up stabbing himself in the eye. Grand couldn't cry out anymore as his throat was filled with blood. He turned weakly to flee, but Winry grabbed him by the shoulders.

"How about you go fuck yourself." She hissed. Mustering all of her strength she pulled on him until they were against the edge of the battlements overlooking the moat. With one final push she shoved him until he went over the edge and fell all the way into the river as lighting illuminated the sky. If he'd screamed the whole way down, she couldn't tell, the storm was too loud.

Winry stood there panting. The rain washing over her, clearing away the blood on her hands. The water was still, Basque Grand was never coming back up.

Winry pushed off of the edge as she looked down at her hands. The rain had washed them clean.

"Damn it." She muttered. "He took the knife with him."

Looking around, Winry thought of the fallout that this would cause. Selim was definitely going to blame her when they found out that Grand was missing. 'I can't stay.' She thought.

Realizing that it was now or never Winry moved to the tapestry that May had used. She was reaching behind it when a hand grabbed her's.

Looking up, she found herself staring right into the cold eye of King Bradley.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **Yeah, no Ed in this one. Don't worry you'll see him in the next one, as well as the Al and Alex duo. I had fun killing Grand, he deserved it. Winry really can't catch a break can she?**

 **Please leave you're thoughts in you're reviews. Thank you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here's Chapter 12. Enjoy.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Does the name Elric mean anything to you?"

Al's jaw dropped. Words completely failed him as he stared at the old woman in front of him. To his side he could hear Alex having a similar reaction.

Pinako glanced between the two men. "I take it by your reactions that it does." She coughed a little as she moved to take a seat.

Al snapped out of his stupor and spoke in a shaky voice, "How do you know that name?"

Pinako gave Al a sympathetic look before she coughed into a handkerchief. She finally spoke, "I knew a young man named Edward Elric."

"Edward Elric!" Al practically shouted as he moved to sit across from Pinako. "You know my brother?"

"His brother?" Pinako said thoughtfully. "Edward did say that he had a father and brother somewhere."

"Did he ever mention a mother?" Al asked desperately. "A woman named Trisha?"

Pinako nodded solemnly, sad that all she had for this young man was bad news.

"Slow down son…" Pinako took a breath. "I'm sorry."

Al went silent, dread filling him as he waited for Pinako to continue. Behind him Alex was holding his breath as well.

"Your mother passed away about ten years ago." Pinako said, pity in her eyes. "Edward died two years ago."

The blood drained from Al's face as the impact of these words hit him. He sat back, running his hands through his hair. His eyes wide as he stared at Pinako.

"No...you're lying." He whispered.

"I'm sorry, son." Pinako shook her head sadly.

"No!" Al shouted as he stood up, knocking the chair down. "This is bullshit! It's all bullshit!" Al began pacing erratically as he pulled on his hair.

"Al?" Alex reached out to his friend.

"Don't touch me Alex!" Al shouted at him, stepping away from the large man. Al stood there for several moments, holding his face in one hand as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"How?" Al said, a little more than a whisper.

"Excuse me?" Pinako didn't hear what he said.

"How!" Al shouted, looking up.

Pinako nodded, unperturbed by Al's behavior. "Your mother, Tricia, became ill and passed away. Edward...died at sea. Killed by the pirate Greed."

"Died at sea." Al repeated with a humorless laugh. "All this time and I never thought about checking the fucking ocean."

Alex gave his friend a worried look before turning to Pinako. "How did you know Edward?"

"He worked on the farm as a hired help, before he came it was just myself and my granddaughter Winry living here."

Alex nodded, raising an eyebrow at the mention of the name Winry. 'It couldn't be...' He thought.

"Tell me about him." Al said from across the room.

Pinako reached under the table and took up a bottle of ale. Alex looked around and saw many empty bottles lying around on the floor.

"Where to begin?" Pinako said with a sad smile. "Edward looked a lot like you; similar hair, eyes. A little shorter though."

"What was he like?" Al stared off not really looking at anything.

"Ed...was a good person." Pinako said. "Short tempered though. And a total blowhard. But he was kind and loyal to the ones he loved. After he died, my granddaughter Winry...she was never the same. It seemed like every day she was drifting farther away from me and herself. You see, they loved each other. He was off getting money to save the smithy. And more importantly he was getting money so he and Winry could get married."

"Winry huh?" Al mumbled, "I guess that name is more common then I thought. Where is your granddaughter?" He looked at Pinako, interested in meeting the girl who had almost been his sister-in-law.

Pinako sat there solemnly for a few moments. "She...left. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe she went with him because he could take her away from this place and the sad memories." Pinako's gaze hardened. "Or, he forced her come with him. I don't know."

"Who's this he?" Alex asked, a frown on his face, behind him Al seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Pinako went silent, she grabbed a table cloth a dabbed her forehead before turning to Alex. "The damn Prince, that's who."

"What!" Alex said as his eyes widened. He turned to Al who also looked stunned. "So...your granddaughter is the Princess?"

Pinako gave a humorless chuckle. "I know, I must be so proud of her." She took a big swig of ale, only to spit it all out when a violent fit of coughing overcame her. Alex came forward concerned as Pinako had to steady herself on the table.

"Ms. Rockbell, I recommend you lie down." Alex said.

Pinako raised her sweaty face to look at him. "Quit your yammering and help me get to my bed." Pinako stood out of the chair, only for her legs to give way and she fell to the ground. With lighting fast reflexes, Alex was able to catch her before she made impact. Alex then effortlessly picked Pinako up and turned to Al.

"Where is her room?" He asked.

"That way, I think." Al pointed towards the stairs. Alex went up and entered the room that he thought was Pinako's. Going to the bed, Alex placed her down. Pulling the covers over the old woman, Alex placed a hand on her forehead.

"Al go to the kitchen and get a wet cloth." He yelled downstairs.

Alex turned back to Pinako whose breathing was becoming hoarse.

"Ms. Pinako, how long have you been ill?"

"It's just a cold, I'll be fine." She said, with some uncertainty.

Alex frowned, "Ms. Pinako your granddaughter..?"

"A few months ago Prince's carriage broke a wheel, Winry went to fix it." Pinako mumbled in a miserable voice. "Later he came to our house, had dinner with us...I saw the way he looked at her and I didn't like it. A few days later, I came home and Winry was gone. Soon enough I hear about this 'Princess Winry' who is going to marry the Prince."

Alex stood in silence as Al entered the room and placed a wet cloth on Pinako's forehead. She started speaking again.

"Why did she leave? Did he force her? I don't know and it's killing me. Her grandfather, her parents, and Edward; all gone. She was my everything, the only one I had left!" Pinako's voice cracked as tears escaped her eyes. Pinako quieted down after this, but when she breathed it ended with the breath becoming a crackling sound.

Al and Alex stepped back as they looked upon the broken woman with pity.

Alex turned to Al, "What do we do?"

"I don't know." Al shrugged sadly. "This woman was kind enough to give us shelter and...she was a friend to Edward. We have to help her."

"I agree." Alex said. "Especially after what we put Winry through."

'Winry.' Al thought with a sigh. 'She knew Ed, she was going to marry him. That practically makes her family and I helped kidnap her!'

Al looked back at Pinako, "I don't like the way she's breathing."

"Neither do I." Alex said.

Al thought for a moment, "Do you know how to make soup?"

"Of course." Alex said.

"Then make some." Al said. "Nice and warm. I'll keep her company."

Alex nodded and walked out of the room. Al turned and sat in a chair. With Pinako seemingly unaware of her surroundings and Alex downstairs, Al was once again left alone with his thoughts.

 _Your mother passed away about ten years ago. Edward died two years ago_.

'Damn it.' Al rested his face in one of his hands. 'I should have known they were dead. It was foolish to think that they were out there somewhere." He leaned back in the chair he was in and stared at the ceiling. 'I'm the only one left. I'm the only member of our family who's still alive.' It was a strange realization to have. For years he'd lived in the hope of finding his brother and mother. But life always did seem to enjoy taking things away from him. First his family and for several years now, his revenge. The latter was likely never going to happen. For all he knew the man he sought was already dead himself. Or he could be on the other side of the world. Either case, it meant that Al was chasing a ghost. One who he would only ever see in his dreams and never in the flesh. He was broken out of his thoughts by Pinako speaking again.

"Ed is that you?"

Al looked up, Pinako wasn't looking at him, but staring straight up at the ceiling.

"Ed?" The old woman croaked again.

Al walked over and put his hand on her forehead. It was burning up.

'Shit!' He thought. 'That's one hell of a fever.'

He moved to get a fresh wet cloth to put on her head, but was stopped when his hand was grabbed. He looked back down at Pinako.

"Ed, please say something." Pinako begged in a weak voice.

Al gave a sigh, this probably wasn't the best idea but what else could he do?

"Yes." He said. "It's Ed."

Pinako smiled a weak crooked smile. "Ed." She said with a happy sigh, "It's about time you came back. Winry's been waiting for you."

"I-I know." Al said in a shaky voice. "I saw her earlier. She was very happy to see me."

"Good...good." Pinako mumbled. "Where is she? I want to see her."

"She's...out at the moment." Al said. "Sleep for now. By the time you wake up she should be back."

Pinako mumbled something that Al couldn't hear, then appeared to go back to sleep. Al jogged downstairs to grab a cloth. He wet it then ran back up and placed it on Pinako's head. Satisfied that she was asleep, he walked back down to the kitchen. Alex was still working on the soup.

"Put the soup on standby, Alex." Al said. "She fell asleep."

Alex nodded and put the soup to the side. "I'll warm it up when she wakes."

The two of them stood there in silence. The only sound being the rain tapping on the roof.

"I always kind of knew." Al said quietly. "There was always a part of me that knew that they were dead. I just didn't want to listen too it."

It pained Alex that he couldn't do anything to help his friend. As he watched Al sit down in a chair he couldn't help but think of a certain princess.

"So Winry was forced by the Prince into the marriage." Alex said aloud, breaking the sad silence.

"It appears so." Al said as he looked at Alex. "If things had gone right she would've been my sister-in-law."

"Small world." Alex mumbled.

"Especially for you." Al joked half-heartedly, before sighing. "What do you think Ed feels when he looks down from wherever he is and sees me? Do you think he's damning me to hell for kidnapping the woman he loved. Is he cursing me for doing nothing while the Prince is doing God knows what to her right now?"

"There was no way you could've known her connection to him." Alex tried to reassure him.

"Well I do now." Al groaned and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

"I want to help her." Al said, in contrast to his attitude in the forest,

"Al.." Alex said cautiously.

"Ed would have wanted me to save her. And I just can't walk away, knowing who she is. If I leave her there, it will haunt me for the rest of my worthless life."

"How are we even-?" Alex stopped talking when there was a sudden knocking at the front door. Both him and Al stared at the door in surprise before they heard knocking again, this time louder.

"There appears to be someone at the door." Alex said.

"Should we answer it?" Al said.

"It would be rude not to."

"This isn't even our house."

"Does it matter?"

The person outside was now banging on the door.

"Alright!" Al called. "We hear you, I'm coming!"

Al walked over and unlocked the door. When he opened it he was surprised to see a soaked, yet very pretty, Xingese girl standing outside.

The girl's eyes, which were already pretty big, widened at the sight of him. She stood there staring at him, then without a single word, she pushed him into the house and closed the door behind her.

"Who the hell are you?" Al asked, looking down at the stranger.

"Are you Edward Elric?" She asked quickly.

Al's eyes widened, before his face became grim and he shook his head.

"No, I'm his brother Alphonse."

The girl looked confused. "His brother? I didn't know he had one."

"How do you know Ed?" Al asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"That's not important." The girl said. "It's crucial that I speak to your brother as soon as possible. Is he here?"

Al shook his head. "He's dead."

The girl gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh no." She said.

"I'm sorry." Al shrugged as he walked over to the table and picked up a bottle of whiskey.

"What are we..I'm sorry Winry." The girl whispered sadly, some tears forming at her eyes.

"Wait, what did you say?" Alex asked from across the room.

The girl wiped her tears away. "How did he die?" She looked at Al.

"I believe Alex asked you a question." Al said as he took a swig.

"How did he die!" The girl said aggressively.

Al raised his hands in mock surrender. "If you're looking for my brother, you're two years too late. He died at sea."

The girl now had a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about?" She asked confused.

"Edward." Al said, a little irritated. "He died at sea."

The girl looked at Al for a few moments before realization dawned on her. "Oh my, you think he was killed by Greed."

"Wasn't he?" Al said.

"No, he's alive." The girl said. "My name is May Chang. I'm the handmaiden of Princess Winry and I came here looking for Edward. Winry sent me."

"Winry?" Alex said in surprise.

"Wait a minute." Al said. "Ed died two years ago. That's what the old lady told me."

"No, that's what everyone thinks happened." May said. "He's still alive and right now Winry needs his help."

"How do you know he's alive?" Al said as he walked forward. A hint of hope in his eyes.

May looked between Alphonse and the man named Alex. She took in Alex's height and Al's sword.

"Wait." May took a step back as one of her hands curled around a knife in her pocket. "You're two of the men who kidnapped Winry, aren't you?"

Al and Alex exchanged surprised looks.

"How do you know?" Alex asked.

"Winry told me about you." May turned to Al. "She said you're hair was brown."

"I dyed it." Al said. "I like to wear disguises."

"What exactly did Winry tell you about us?" Alex asked.

"She said that you two were kind to her and that you didn't know of the plot to kill her." May said.

"We didn't." Alex confirmed.

"Can we get back to Edward?" Al cut in. "How do you know he's still alive?"

May looked at the two of them, "Do you two recall a man dressed in black?"

"Yes." They said in unison.

"That was Edward." May said.

There was a long moment of silence as May and the two men stared at each other.

"Bullshit." Al said finally.

"No it's not." May said. "That was really Edward. He was just wearing a mask and using an accent." May then looked at Al who looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Alphonse are you-?" May was cut off when Al went limp and fell to the ground.

"Oh dear." May ran over to Al and flipped him over into his back. A large shadow over her showed that Alex was hovering over them.

"Is he ok?" Alex asked.

"Yes." May said. "He just fainted."

She looked up at Alex. "Can you lift him? We should put him on a soft surface."

"There's a couch in the living room." Alex said.

Alex easily scooped up Al and carried him into the living room as May followed. As May watched Alex place Al on the couch, she couldn't help but notice that Al looked rather cute when he was asleep.

Ignoring that thought she turned to Alex.

"Winry has a grandmother, where is she…" May trailed off as she checked the chi in the house. "What's wrong with her?" She looked up at Alex.

"How do you know-?" Alex began.

"Take me to her." May said.

Alex nodded and lead May up the stairs into Pinako's room. When they entered May ran over to Pinako's side.

"How long has she been sick?" She looked over her shoulder at Alex.

"I don't know." Alex said. "We arrived less then 15 minutes ago."

May checked Pinako's pulse and gave a sigh, "She's very, very ill."

"How ill?" Alex asked.

"I can't be sure." May mumbled, before looking at Alex. "Are there any herbs here?"

"A few." Alex responded.

"Maybe I can make something for her." May said. "Keep an eye on her:" May got up and headed downstairs. As she looked through the cabinets, she heard a groan come from the couch. She looked over to see Al pushing himself into a sitting position.

"How long have I been out?" He asked.

"Just a few minutes." May responded.

Al saw her putting different herbs and such into a bowl. "What are you working on?"

"Something for Pinako." May said. "It should help keep her symptoms down."

"That's good, I guess." Al slowly stood up from the couch. When he was his full height he looked back at May. "So you're friends with Winry?" He asked.

"Yes." May nodded.

"How's she doing?" Al asked. "You said she was in trouble."

"It's...complicated." May said.

"I'm not going anywhere." Al gave a small smirk.

"She's pregnant." May said.

Whatever response Al had planned to say quickly died in his throat. Instead he just stared at May in shock. Eventually he found his voice.

"Is it Ed's baby?" He asked quietly.

May turned around to look at him and nodded with a sad smile.

"And I guess.." Al began to say quietly. "..that I'm going to be an uncle."

"I guess so." May mumbled before turning back to her work.

"Can I help you out with that?" Al asked as he came up from the side.

"Chop these up, then beat them with a mallet." May handed him some kind of green plant.

The two of them worked in silence. Al had a lot more questions on his mind, but he was going to wait until later to ask them. Eventually May declared that they were done with whatever they were making. Al looked down at the thick substance that they had created and winced.

"Is she supposed to drink that or eat it?" He asked.

"Neither." May said. "You rub in on her skin and it hopefully keeps her symptoms in check."

"Ok." Al picked up the bowl of goop and followed May up the stairs.

Alex was still standing in the room next to the bed. May sat down next to Pinako and dipped her hand into the bowl as Al placed it next to her. May took the cloth off of Pinako's head and began to apply the liquid to Pinako's skin. Pinako gave a sigh and opened her eyes.

"Winry?"

May froze in her actions and looked at Pinako. "I'm sorry, she's not here."

"Figures." Pinako said. "Who are you?"

"My name is May Chang." May said. "I'm a friend of Winry's."

"Wh-where is she?" Pinako mumbled, her eyes half lidded.

"Winry...is safe, don't worry she is going to be okay." May said hesitantly.

"Why did she leave me?"

"She didn't have a choice." May said sadly as she took Pinako's hand. "Winry loves you Pinako, she loves you so much. She wanted me to tell you that she would never willingly leave you."

Pinako's eyes opened fully as she listened to May.

"And also, she wanted me to tell you that Edward is alive. I know you think he died two years ago but he didn't. He is alive!" May said with a smile. "And I have something else to tell you. Everything I have told you so far is true and what I am about to is as well. Winry is pregnant with Ed's child. Winry is going to have a baby."

Pinako let out a shaky breath as tears pooled in her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. May checked her temperature before standing up and turning to Alex.

"Please stay with her, at her age an illness like this could be fatal." May told him to which Alex nodded.

May suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Al standing there.

"We need to talk." He said bluntly.

May nodded before exiting the room with Al behind her. Once they got to the kitchen she sat down at the table with Al sitting across from her. "Yes?" She asked.

"What happened to Edward?" He asked.

"Pardon?" May blinked.

"If he truly was the man in black and rescued Winry, how did she end up back with Selim?"

May sighed, "They were separated in the Fire Swamp and Winry was captured by Selim. She told me that Edward got away so I'm looking for him."

"Okay...you said Winry is pregnant with Ed's child?" Al asked.

"Yes."

"But how do you know? I'm mean they were only reunited last week?"

May blushed, "Ever heard of chi?"

"No." Al said.

"Well basically it is energy that comes from within the earth and flows through the human body and- Hey! Don't look at me like that!" May crossed her arms while Al stared at her like she had two heads.

"Anyway, some people from Xing can feel another person's chi. That's how I knew Pinako was so sick, her chi was affected by the illness." May explained.

"So you can feel that Winry is pregnant?" Al asked.

"Yes."

"Okay..I'll take your word for it." Al mumbled, before he looked up at May. "You thought Brother might be here?"

"Winry said this was a potential place to find him." May informed him.

"Well he isn't here." Al said. "Did Winry mention any other places where he could be?"

"No." May said. "But Edward is a pirate."

"A pirate?" Al raised an eyebrow.

"Remember the pirate Greed?" May asked.

"Yeah." Al responded.

"Well Edward is the pirate Greed." May said.

"Wait...what?"

"I didn't get it either." May shrugged. "It took Winry a while to explain it to me."

Al signed. "I can honestly say that the last 20 minutes has been the strangest of my life."

"I'm sorry for dropping all of this on you." May said. "When did you find out that Ed supposedly died at sea?"

"About 5 minutes before you arrived." Al said.

May winced, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Al said. "Thanks to you, the amount of time I spent mourning for my brother was the equivalent of making a sandwich."

May giggled at that. "I guess it could have been worse."

"Definitely." Al said.

May nodded, "Ok where was I?"

"Ed's a pirate." Al reminded her.

"Oh, thank you." May said. "So since Ed's a pirate he would probably try to contact his crew for backup."

"So...he'd go somewhere so he could contact his crew." Al said. "Where is that?"

"There's a port on the river that travels through the capital." May said. "It's right next to the ocean."

"That makes sense. He'd want to be near Winry." Al said. "Wait, if you came from the capital, why didn't you check it while you were there?"

"It's closed now." May informed him. "And I couldn't stick around because there were sentries posted in the area."

"When does the port open?" Al asked.

"In a few hours." May informed him. "We can go there and ask anyone if they saw Ed."

"If he did go there, where would he stay if he was waiting for a response from his crew?" Al asked.

"There's dozens of inns and taverns that he could be staying in." May said.

"Ok then." Al said. "Maybe if the three of us split up we could cover more area."

"That sounds like a plan." May smiled.

"Hopefully by then this weather clears up." Al glanced up at the loud ceiling.

"I hope so." May said. "So until then what do we do?"

"Wait it out." Al shrugged, then looked over at May."

"What can you tell me about yourself Chang?" Al asked with a grin. This girl interested him and he wanted to know more about her.

"What do you want to know?" May couldn't help but grin too. To her, Al's smiles were contagious.

"Let's start with...your favorite color?" Al asked.

"My favorite color?" May said to herself. "Salmon." She answered.

"Salmon, unique." Al said playfully. "How about your favorite animal?"

"That's easy." May said. "Pandas."

"Pandas." Al grinned. "So you are from Xing."

"What gave it away?" May laughed.

"Pandas hail from Xing. You also have a very slight accent." Al said. "You've shed most of it. But there's still some there."

"I guess I'll have to try harder." May said. "How about you? What's your favorite animal?"

"Cats." Al answered.

"Why cats?" May asked.

"I really don't know." Al said. "I like their fur. It's soft."

"That's cute." May said.

"I like to believe that I make that up with my sword." Al raised his sword in the air and put it back down on the ground.

"That's a very good looking sword." May said.

"Do you know a lot about swords?" Al asked.

"Just basic knowledge. I prefer knives." May took out one of her kunai knives and placed it on the table.

Al raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were a handmaiden?" He said.

"I am, I'm just one with a special skill set. You?" May asked.

"Well I'm an unemployed drunk with my own special skill set." Al responded.

May leaned forward. "What more can you tell me about yourself Alphonse?"

Al was about to open his mouth when Alex came into the room. The look on Alex's face is what caught his attention.

"Alex, what is it?"

Alex was quiet for a few moments.

"Ms. Pinako has died."

Silence filled the room as Al and May stared at Alex in shock. Alex had a few tears coming down his face.

"She...just...died." Alex said. "She was sleeping and then her breathing just stopped. I tried to revive her...but it didn't do anything."

There were several minutes of silence as the two people at the table absorbed the information."How do you just die like that?" Al whispered.

"She was old Al." May whispered as well, her heart breaking for Winry. "People just die. Oh god...Winry never got to say goodbye."

"Is she just lying up there?" Al looked at Alex.

"Yes." Alex nodded.

"We need to do something about her." May said. "We can't just leave her."

"If you're talking about burying her, good luck in this weather?" Al said. "And waiting for the ground to be right would take too long."

"Al!" Alex said. "We have to show this woman some respect."

"I never said we shouldn't." Al said. "But we also need to find Edward and save Winry! Now as I recall, the royal wedding is only a few days away, that doesn't give us a whole lot of time."

"Al's right." May sighed. "We simply don't have the time to give Pinako a proper burial."

"I'm sure that there are people in the nearby village who would bury her." Al said solemnly.

Alex nodded. "I'll take the body to the village."

"Winry told me that Pinako was very respected in the village." May said. "They'll give her the burial she deserves."

"The storm sounds like it's going to subside soon." Al said. "We should head out then."

"Ok." May said. "We have a plan."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Pain.

That's all he could feel as he opened his tired eyes. He was close, he was so close. His little finger was seconds away from finishing it.

It was done.

He brought his hand up and brought it down. The electric sound of alchemy had never sounded so good.

He fell to the ground as the chair shattered under him. He groaned in pain as he lay there panting.

Everything hurt.

Moving hurt.

Breathing hurt.

Edward Elric bit back the pain and forced himself up into a sitting position. As he steadied himself with his one arm he looked over his injuries. His chest and arms were covered in bloody cuts and slashes. In their most recent session, Bradley had cut him to ribbons with a razor. The one eyed man didn't even ask questions anymore. He'd informed Ed that he knew his identity..

Now he was just inflicting pain for the fun of it.

Bradley had just left a few minutes ago so the Gold Toothed Doctor should be showing up soon. Ed stiffly pushed himself to his feet, picking up a long and sharp piece of wood from the chair. Stumbling over to the door he found it to be locked. Groaning to himself he rested himself against the wall, next to the door, waiting.

After several minutes, Ed heard the door being unlocked. Readying himself, he waited, weapon in hand. The door opened and the grinning Doctor came in.

"Well Mr. Elric. Let's see what the damage is-"

The Gold Toothed Doctor froze when he saw that the chair was destroyed and he never got a chance to raise an alarm. Ed flung himself from around the door and jammed the long piece of wood directly in the Doctor's throat. The man fell the ground gasping and went quiet when Ed stomped on the stick, driving it all the way in. Dropping to his knees, he took the man's white coat off and put his one arm through it. Standing up he glanced in a mirror that Bradley had in the room.

He looked terrible.

His face was bruised and pale from days of torture. His body was thin and damaged. Cut and slashed all over. The skin sagged under his eyes due to sleep deprivation and his eyes stared back with a liveless glare.

Just then an image flashed before his eyes. It was the image that had kept him from falling into despair. What motivated him to keep on going, no matter how bad it got. Because seeing this image again for real was worth all of the pain in the world.

Ed saw Winry lying in the bed at the swamp house. She was under the blanket, showing off just enough perfect skin to get his blood pumping. But what stood out the most was the smile on her face. It wasn't a big smile or a small smile. It was a happy smile.

A happy smile that demonstrated all the love that he could ever want from another person. Her blue eyes shining and her beautiful, long blond hair glowing.

He was going to see this sight again. He was not going to die here in this hell hole.

"I'm coming Winry." He whispered with a broken voice. "I'm coming for you!"

Stumbling out of the room. Ed looked looked left, then he looked right. Choosing left, he proceeded with caution. All too aware he was leaving a trail of blood behind him. The hallways were like a maze, but thankfully he didn't bump into anyone. After a while he stopped to rest against the wall. As he rested his head back, his eyes opened when he heard rain behind him. Turning around he put his hand on the wall.

Outside of this wall was freedom and Winry.

Drawing a big transmutation circle with his blood. Ed made quick work of the wall.

Ed stepped out through the new hole that he had just made. The scent of fresh air filled his nose and lungs. A breeze blew against his skin. He stood there for a moment and let out a sigh, closing his eyes and raising his face to the downpouring rain. Turning his head he saw the royal castle not too far away. His ears heard the sound of water moving quickly, glancing down Ed saw a river several feet away.

Suddenly a kick to the back of his right leg brought him to his knees. A pair of hands grabbed his one arm, while another pair grabbed his right shoulder.

"Mr. Edward Elric, I presume." Came a voice from the darkness.

A hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head up. Looking in front of him he saw a man a few years older than him. This man had pale skin with black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a brown coat for the rain. Next to him there was a soldier holding an umbrella above his head. Ed recognized him instantly.

"Selim." He snarled, fury filling him at the sight of the man who had made Winry's life a living hell.

"Commoners should say 'your Grace' when they are bestowed with the privilege of talking to royalty." Selim said. "It's a simple sign of respect."

"How about you tell your thugs to let me go. Then I can really show you the respect you deserve." Ed glared up at Selim.

Selim chuckled. "Tough talk from a man with one foot in his own grave." Selim gave him a look over. "King certainly did a number on you, I'm surprised he never got you to crack."

Ed smirked. "I guess I'm just full of surprises."

"Yes, I agree." Selim said. "I was on my way to visit you and instead I find you coming out to greet me. How polite of you Edward."

"If I knew you were coming. I would have dressed appropriately." Ed said through gritted teeth.

Selim sighed, "It is a pity. I was hoping that King would have reduced you to a mere shell. You would have made a wonderful wedding present to my dearly beloved."

Ed growled. "Why? Why are you so cruel to her? All she ever did was fix your damn wagon."

Selim chuckled again. "Because I can. And besides there's just something about her that pisses me off. At first she was nice and submissive, but then she formed a backbone. No doubt that was your doing. Now why did you do that? After all that hard work I put into making her the perfect Princess. A prince needs a perfect princess."

Ed shook his head. "You're no true Prince. A true Prince wouldn't need to torment his bride to make himself feel strong. Compensating for something?"

One of the men holding Ed raised a fist to strike him, but Selim dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"Now that was rude." Selim said turning back to Ed. "And in a few short days on our wedding night, I'm sure Winry will disprove that last statement."

Selim stepped forward until he was a foot away from Ed and then kneeled down so that they were at eye level.

"Now here is how it's going to go." Selim said. "You are going back into that dungeon. Bradley will continue to work on you until the night of my wedding. On that night after my new bride and myself have retired to our chambers, you'll be there. She'll recognize you and call out to you, but you won't recognize her. All you will do is sit there and stare. You will keep staring as I rip her dress off; as I pin her down on my bed; as I make love to her for hours. She's not going to enjoy it, I can predict that. So she'll be calling out to you. Screaming and begging for help, begging you to save her. But you won't. All you will do is stare."

Ed was torn between unimaginable fury and disgust. His arm was being held with an iron grip, he couldn't move. If he could, then nothing on this earth would stop him from killing the smug bastard in front of him.

Selim continued, his eyes gleaming with sick delight. "And after I have satisfied myself with her body," Selim paused to lick his lips. "I'm going to kill her."

Ed's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in fury, he'd never felt so much rage against one person. The rain continued to pour down on him, while Selim stayed dry under his umbrella.

"I'll kill you as well." Selim said, relishing every word. "I don't know what the order is going to be. I should probably kill you first because at that point her death will mean nothing to you. And when she sees whatever life remaining in your eyes disappear, she'll beg me for the sweet release of death. And as a final wedding gift, I'll grant her request."

Ed glanced at the two men holding him, the one holding his stump seemed less attentive than the other.

"And soon the tale will be told. The tale of how the Prince and Princess, while passionately enjoying their first night as a married couple, were attacked by an assassin. You'll be playing the assassin by the way. Anyway, the Prince was able to slay this assassin, but not before the Princess herself was fatally injured. Before the assassin died the brave Prince learned of where he hailed from...Creta."

Ed's mouth opened in surprise. It all made sense now.

"It was you." Ed said. "You hired Yoki to kill Winry."

Selim smiled. "Correct. And I must thank you for compromising that operation. This ending is so much better than what I had originally planned."

"Why?" Ed asked, aghast. "Why have you done all of this? Why do you want a war?"

"It's really simple." Selim said. "The glory."

"Glory?" Ed asked incredulously. "If you wanted a glorious war then why didn't you just invade Creta yourself? Why did you have to involve Winry in any of this?"

"Because a symbol is much more powerful than a man." Selim said. "I am just a man. Yet, I could call my armies to bear arms. I could order them to march to Creta. Bradley would outmaneuver any opposition and Amestris would win a war that it had started. That I started. I would be seen as a man who wanted what he didn't have. The people would despise me. I'd be seen as a power hungry conqueror. A man who wrote his legacy in blood. But because of Winry, I'll be a legend. Winry will be a symbol of a beauty that was destroyed. An innocence that was tragically taken from this earth. On the night she is taken from me; I will carry her lifeless, blood soaked body down to the royal court and demand justice. It will not be a simple war of land or titles. It will be a war that they write tragedies and songs about. The people loved her so they will love me for avenging her."

Selim smiled one more time, before standing up. Ed continued to glare up at him.

"Well it's been fun, Ed." Selim said. "But I have to leave now. A wedding to plan, my wife to murder, and Creta to blame for it. I'm swamped."

"I'm going to kill you." Ed said, looking straight into Selim's eyes. "The last thing that you will ever see in this world, will be me."

Selim chuckled. "And how are you going to do that?"

Selim turned around and started walking away. The men holding him pulled him to his feet and started pulling him towards the hole in the wall.

The man holding the umbrella for Selim held up a piece of paper for him.

"Lord Bradley sent this." The man said. "It's about that group he's been telling you about."

"I told him to ignore that." Selim groaned. "I swear I could kill that man."

"Or I could just kill you." Ed said.

Ed snapped his head to the side, smashing the man holding his metal port. The man's nose was crushed and he fell back clutching his bleeding face. Ed turned to the one holding his left arm and head butted him as well, this lessened the man's grip, but didn't make him let go. Ed brought his leg up into the man's side, cracking his ribs. This caused the man to release him. Now with his one hand free, Ed grabbed the sword that the man had strapped to his side. Pulling it out, Ed slashed the man's throat in the same movement. Turning around Ed quickly slashed the throat of the man with the crushed nose. With these two men taken care of, Ed turned to look at Selim.

Selim had turned around and was staring at him in shock. The man holding the umbrella dropped it and pulled out his own sword and ran forward. Behind him, Selim reached into his coat. The man raised his sword and brought it down. Ed blocked it, then sidestepped, spinning around so that he was back to back with the soldier. He butted the back of the man's head with his metallic shoulder, causing him to stumble forward. Ed spun around and stabbed the soldier through the back off his head, with the blade sticking out of his mouth.

Suddenly, burning pain erupted in his side, right under his port.

Ed cried out and glanced down at his side. There was a dagger embedded inside of him. Following the arm that was holding it, Ed locked eyes with Selim.

"You just had to ruin my fun, didn't you?" Selim twisted the knife, causing Ed to cry out and drop his sword in pain.

Selim pulled out the dagger and stabbed Ed directly in the chest. Ed let out a gasping sound as the dagger pierced him. He brought his left hand up and placed it on Selim's throat. Ed grit his teeth as he squeezed. Selim looked over Ed's shoulder to see that they were standing directly over the rapidly moving river.

"I'll send her your love." Selim whispered.

Selim pushed Ed away from him, sliding the dagger out of him. Ed fell back, tripping over the ridge that surrounded the stone walkway.

He fell headfirst into the river, but he didn't feel it. He didn't feel the cold or the water filling his lungs.

He didn't feel anything.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **And I thought the cliffhanger in the last one was bad. I hope you can forgive me.**

 **We're starting to get really close to the ending, I'm excited and a little sad.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This may be my longest chapter yet. Get ready for a lot of plot and a lot of talking.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Well that one was a bust." Al said as he and May walked out of a tavern. They'd spent the last 15 minutes searching every room and questioning the owner. No one had seen or heard of anyone that resembled Ed.

"They've all been busts." May sighed as she led the way to their next inn. The streets were mostly empty except for a few people walking harmlessly down the street. In case they ran into any trouble, Al had his sword and May her knives.

"Cheer up, the next one might be the one." Al said halfheartedly.

May didn't say anything, but walked with a frown on her face.

"What is it?" Al asked, looking over at her.

"It's something that's been bugging me for a while." May said. "On the day that Winry was kidnapped, her bodyguard, Scar, suddenly became ill."

"So the man who Yoki killed wasn't her bodyguard?" Al asked.

"No, he was a last second replacement. Her real bodyguard would have destroyed you."

Al laughed at that, "You sure about that?"

"Trust me Al." May said. "The man is almost as big as Alex and has a sword as big as you."

"Well that sounds formidable." Al said. "What's bothering you about it?"

"Scar became ill so suddenly and the doctor couldn't tell what was wrong. It was a bizarre fever. But about two days later he was perfectly fine."

"That's happened to me before." Al shrugged.

"But a few days ago." May said. "Winry suddenly became just as ill. And she had been poisoned by Selim."

"Wait." Al said. "Poisoned? Is Winry ok? The Baby?"

"Both her and the baby should be fine." May said. "But her symptoms were so similar to Scar's….did Selim poison Scar?"

"That doesn't make any sense." Al said. "Why would the Prince poison his fiancé's bodyguard?"

"You don't know him like I do." May said. "The man is a monster. He cares nothing for Winry or anyone else but himself."

Al went silent as he thought for a moment. An idea popped up in his head.

"Hear me out on this." Al said. "But what if Selim knew that Winry was going to be kidnapped that day."

May stopped and stared at Al with wide eyes. "If that's true then Selim wanted Winry to die. Why would he want that?"

"To start a war." Al said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yoki said that he was hired by a very powerful person to frame Creta for the princess' murder. Selim could have been this man."

"Selim did talk a lot about the dangers of Creta a while ago." May mused.

"And the Thieves Forest." Al said. "It was cleared in search of Cretan assassins. Where did the Prince head hear about these assassins?"

"I don't know." May said. "None of the soldiers mentioned any source."

"If Selim tried to start a war with Creta by killing Winry, then what's to stop him from trying again?" Al asked.

May paled. "Absolutely nothing."

"We really need to find Ed soon." Al said as he continued walking. "Is Alex supposed to meet us in the inn by the river or the one near the wall?"

"The one near the river I think." May said, still thinking about the possibilities that their previous conversation had brought up.

They continued on in silence until they were walking by the side of the river.

"Are we wasting our time?" May asked.

"What do you mean?" Al said, looking over at her.

"What if Ed wasn't able to get away?" May asked. "What if he really is….dead?"

"Don't say that." Al snapped. "Ed's not dead, he can't be dead."

"How do you know?" May asked stopping with her walking to turn to Al. "You don't even know him."

"I know enough." Al snapped. "I know he would climb a cliff and fight his way through any enemy to get to the people he loves. I know he can adapt to difficult situations and is much stronger than I could ever be."

May's gaze lowered guiltily. "I'm sorry for saying that. It's just...what if we're right? What if Selim is going to kill Winry and plunge this country into war. If we spend our entire night walking from inn to inn, we won't accomplish anything."

"We can't give up." Al said. "If we give into despair then we're lost."

The two continued on in silence. Al was staring ahead of him determinedly while May was looking at the river. The water here was much calmer than it was near the castle. She stopped when she thought she was something.

Al walked a few feet before he realized that he had left May behind.

"What is it?" He asked.

May squinted as she stared out into the river. About 30 feet away there was something floating along the surface. It looked like a person.

"I think there's a body!" May said, as she pointed out into the river. "There's someone in the river!"

Al looked to where she was pointing and saw the body.

"Shit."

Al threw his brown coat away and pulled his boots off. Giving May one last look, he dove into the water.

When he came back up he saw the body floating further down the river. Al took off, swimming after the person. After several moments he caught up. The person was blonde and was wearing a white coat with faded red stains. Al grabbed the person by the shoulders and pulled his face out of the water. Al couldn't see the man's face, but he decided that could wait until he had reached shore. After several minutes of pulling and swimming he reached the shore. May was there and helped him haul the man onto land. Al fell to his side, a bit winded by the effort that it took to pull the man to shore. His attention was grabbed when he heard May gasp.

He sat up and when he looked at the man's face his jaw dropped.

The young man looked exactly like his father. A younger, beardless version of his father. Al instantly knew who it was.

"Edward?"

May snapped out of her shock and checked to see if Ed was breathing. He wasn't and she could barely feel a pulse. Moving fast she started performing CPR as Al watched helplessly from the side.

"Is he ok?" Al asked in a weak voice.

"I don't know." May said worriedly, before she breathed into Ed's mouth. Several stressful moments of silence passed as May continued to try to revive Ed.

Al was just about to lose all hope when Ed suddenly spit out a mouthful of water and started coughing.

"Ed?" Al cried desperately as May moved him into his side.

"Give him room to breath." May warned.

Al sat back and watched as Ed coughed up the rest of the water in his lungs. May gently slid him into his back. Al was instantly hovering over him, staring down at his older brother.

"Ed?" He said his brother's name again.

Ed's eyes opened slightly and Al saw the gold that his father had told him about. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Ed's eyes closed and he passed out.

Al's eyes moved from his brother's face to the rest of him and he gasped. There were many open wounds across Ed's chest. He looked pale and thin. Looking back at his face Al noticed how lifeless his brother looked. He would have guessed that he was looking at a dead body if not for the faint sound of Ed's breathing.

"What happened to him?" Al asked as he looked at two particularly deep wounds in Ed's chest and side.

"I don't know." May said, cringing at the sight of the wounds. If Ed didn't receive help soon, he would die.

Al glanced down at his brother's side and blanched at the sight of an empty sleeve.

"Oh god! His arm!" Al said.

"What? Oh, Winry told me he has automail." May said.

"What?" Al said.

"Artificial metal limbs." May said.

Al thought about how Ed had caught his sword with his hand during their fight.

Snapping out of his thoughts. "He needs help." Al said, looking around frantically. "We need a doctor:"

"I know a man who can help him." May said. "We need to get Ed to him quickly."

May pulled out her knife and started cutting Ed's coat into strips. She used the strips to bind as many of Ed's bleeding injuries as she could. They were pretty bad, the coldness of the river was probably the only reason why he hadn't bled out. When Ed was bandaged to May's satisfaction she looked at an anxious Al.

"Help me carry him. But be careful." Al grabbed under Ed's shoulders, while May got his feet.

"Where are we going?" Al asked.

"To a friend." May answered.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The ring sparkled as she played with it in her hand. The light shining through the window bounced off it perfectly.

Winry sighed as she sat on her bed looking at the symbol of Ed's love to her.

'I should have left when I had the chance.' Winry berated herself.

She'd been in her room since Bradley had caught her. He'd brought her back to her room and locked the door. It been a day, and no one had come for her. Food was brought in, but the deliverer never said anything. Well at least it was official now, she was a prisoner. Her sudden illness at dinner was Selim's excuse for her absense in public.

She didn't regret killing Grand. She was glad that sick bastard was dead, her only regret was getting caught at the last second.

'If I had left when I did, Grand probably would have raised an alarm and May would either be trapped here too or dead.' Winry thought to herself, trying to be on the positive side.

At least May was had gotten out, there was still hope thanks to her. So far no one has asked her about May, so that meant her absense hadn't been noticed yet. Also no one had asked her about Grande yet, perhaps Bradley didn't see her knock him over the wall.

As she looked back at her ring she suddenly felt a feeling of dread within her. Something was wrong. She didn't know what it was but she knew for whatever reason that something bad had happened to Ed.

Her hand drifted to her stomach, a habit that she noticed happened a lot.

"Don't you dare die on me again, Edward Elric. I-we couldn't bear it."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Why are we at a butcher's shop?" Al asked as he followed May down the road.

Carrying Ed together was too slow, so Al was carrying him over his shoulder while May led the way.

"The person who can help Ed is here." May said over her shoulder as she stopped at the door.

Banging on the door, May stepped back when it opened, revealing an impossibly large man the size of Alex.

"Holy shit-" Al was cut off by May.

"I need to see the doctor." May said.

The large man looked down at her before glancing at Al with a wounded Ed over his shoulder.

"Come in." He said in a low voice.

The man stepped to the side and let them in. As Al carried his brother in he heard the large man call out.

"Honey, we have guests."

Al came to a stop in the middle of the room he was standing in, unsure of where to go. He heard footsteps coming down a staircase to his left and he turned to look. A tall woman wearing a sleeveless white coat came in with a frown on her face. She quickly gave Al and Ed a look then nodded and looked back up the stairs.

"Tim." She called."You have a patient."

She turned back to Al. "Who are you?"

"My name is Alphonse, this is my brother." Al said. Behind him May came around him.

"Hello Ms. Curtis, how are you doing?" May asked with a bow.

"May." Curtis returned the bow. "This is a surprise."

"Please we need help." May said, placing a hand on Al's shoulder. Despite the tense situation, Al couldn't help but blush when she touched him.

Ms. Curtis nodded then looked at Al. "Follow me."

Al followed the woman she led them up the stairs of her house.

"My names Izumi Curtis." The woman said, "What's yours?"

"Alphonse Hohenheim." Al answered.

"And how do you know May?" Izumi questioned him.

"Uhhhh, we have a mutual friend." Al answered.

They reached the top of the stairs and Izumi led them into a room. In the room was an elderly man who was sorting through different vials that were in a box. The man turned to look at Al.

"Place him on the bed." The man said in a gruff voice as he pointed to a bed that was on the other side of the room. Al gently laid Ed down on the bed and looked at his brother's appearance. Ed was still unconscious, even paler and he took longer pauses in between breaths.

"How did he get hurt?" Al heard the old man ask.

"I don't really know." Al turned. "I found him floating down the river like this."

The old man nodded, "I'll have to ask you to leave the room."

"What?" Al cried. "No!"

"Al just do what he says." May said, standing next to Izumi.

"I don't even know who this guy is." Al said. "And you expect me to leave him alone in a room with my brother?"

"His name is Tim Marcoh." May said. "He used to work in the castle as the royal surgeon."

"Used to." Marcoh said. "Before that little snot of a prince fired me."

"If anybody can help your brother he can." Izumi said. "Come on, I'll make you some tea."

Al hesitated for a moment before giving Ed one last look before following May and Izumi out of the room.

Marcoh closed the door behind them and the three of them were left standing in the hallway. Al looked between May and Izumi.

"So how do you two know each other?" Al asked.

"Izumi gave me a place to stay when I first arrived from Xing." May informed him. "I stayed here before I got a job in the castle."

Al turned to Izumi. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm just a housewife." Izumi said with a small smirk.

"And the old man?" Al pointed to the door.

"As I said, he was the king's doctor until Selim fired him." May said.

"Why did he do that?"

"I don't know, the king's health has really deteriorated since Marcoh left. It's almost as if Selim wants his father to die." May's eyes widened at the end. "You don't think..."

"Wouldn't surprise me, considering everything else I've heard about him." Al mumbled.

"Tim has the same theory. The Prince just wants the king to die so he can ascend the throne. Princess Winry is too good for the likes of him." Izumi muttered. "How is she doing May? I heard she's sick."

May hesitated and glanced at Al before looking back at Izumi.

"Winry's...not doing good at all. It's complicated." May mumbled. "I'd like to wait for Edward to wake before talking about it. But no matter what, we could really use your help."

"If helping you will help the Princess, then I'm in." Izumi said, then went downstairs to get tea.

Al sat down in a chair that was next to the door with a tired sigh.

May have him a sympathetic look.

"Ed's going to be ok." She said. "Dr. Marcoh is the best surgeon in the kingdom."

"If you say so." Al whispered.

"Hey." May leaned down so she was eyelevel with Al. "Don't give up hope. From what Winry's told me, Ed's a fighter."

"I hope so." Al said.

"Are you going to be ok here?" May asked taking Al's hand.

"I think so." Al responded before looking down and blushing lightly when he saw she was holding his hand. May glanced down before looking away and clearing her throat.

"I'll go find Alex." She said. "He'll want to be here."

"Hey."

May turned to look back at Al.

"Please be safe May." He said, giving her hand a small squeeze.

May nodded, then leaned down to plant a kiss on Al's forehead. Turning around quickly to hide her blush, May went down the stairs.

Al stared at her while she left with an open mouth and a blush on his face.

"This is weird." He muttered to himself.

Izumi came back up and handed him a cup of tea. Pulling up a chair she sat down next to him.

"So you're a mercenary?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"Uhh..yes." Al responded. "How do you know?"

"I've seen you're like before." Izumi said with a frown. "And you're brother is he one too?"

"No..he's a pirate." Al said, then flinched when he saw her glaring at him.

"You're May's friend so I'm letting your brother get help here." She said in a low, intimidating voice. "But if you bring any trouble for me or my husband then it will be my mission in life to make you regret it. Understand?!"

Al gulped, "Yeah I understand."

"Good." Izumi said, standing up. Her demeanor now more cheerful. "I hope your brother gets well."

"Uh, thanks." Al said as Izumi walked back downstairs.

Al let out a sigh and leaned back into the chair. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

 _"Father, what is Ed like?" A young Alphonse said as he stood on his tiptoes next his father's desk._

 _Van Hohenheim looked up from the papers in front of him and smiled sadly at his six year old son._

 _"Well Alphonse, you have to remember that Edward was only two years old when I last saw him."_

 _"I know." Al said as he bounced up and down on his feet, "But you must remember something." He begged._

 _Hohenheim shook his head but his smile remained. "Well he was very curious for his age. Every time he found something new, he wouldn't rest until he found out what it was. Drove your mother crazy." He chuckled before frowning slightly. "He did have a bit of a temper though."_

 _"Did I have a temper when I was a baby?" Al asked._

 _Hohenheim laughed, "No Alphonse, you were a very gentle baby." He said as he pulled Al onto his lap._

 _"One day I'm going to find him father. When I'm older I'll find him and Mom. Then we can be one big family, just like we're supposed to be." Al proclaimed excitably._

Al was woken by a loud creaking sound. He turned his head to see Alex standing next to him.

"Oh hey Alex...when did-"

Al was cut off by Alex embracing him in a bone crushing hug lifting him off the ground.

"YOU FINALLY FOUND YOUR BROTHER! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Alex bellowed as he spun Al around in circles like a rag doll.

"Alex put him down before you give him whiplash." Al heard May's voice from somewhere.

Alex plopped Al back down on his feet. Al waited for the world to stop spinning before he looked up at Alex.

"Thanks Alex." He sighed as he sat down.

"Don't worry Al." Alex said as he pulled up chair to sit next to him. "I'm sure your brother will be fine."

"All we can do is wait." May said in the chair that Izumi had been sitting in.

"Thanks guys." Al said as he leaned back in the chair. After a few minutes he tilted his head so that it was resting on May's shoulder. May blushed a little, but didn't object.

The three of them sat there waiting for about 10 more minutes until the door to the room finally opened. They all perked up as Marcoh came out into the hallway.

"How is he?" Al asked anxiously.

"Your brother's going to be fine." Marcoh said.

Al let out a sigh of relief and Alex clapped him on the back, which almost knocked him down.

"From what I can tell, Edward's been tortured routinely for several days. I've healed and closed up the majority of his injuries, which shouldn't leave many scars. He will need about a week of rest though."

"A week?!" May said. "But the wedding is in four days. We can't wait that long."

"I recommend a week because it will take that long for him to regain all of his strength. He can move around on his feet, but he will be weakened and it will slow his recovery."

"Is he still asleep?" Al asked.

"Yes." Marcoh answered. "You can go see him if you want. He might wake up soon."

Al moved passed Marcoh into the room and was followed by May. Alex stayed outside for a moment to talk to Marcoh.

"I heard Edward was critically injured, yet you saved him in less than an hour. How?"

Marcoh gave a knowing grin. "A magician can't reveal all his secrets."

Alex stared for a few moments before moving to join Al and May as they sat by Edward's side.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Water, in his ears; in his mouth. All around him.

He gasped for breath and was genuinely surprised when he got some. Wasn't he under water the last time he checked. He tried to open his eyes but they wouldn't budge. He found his arm to be more cooperative as he moved it out from under a blanket.

'Am I in a bed?'

He moved his arm, running his hand over the soft material of the blanket. He froze when he felt another hand grab his.

 _You just had to ruin the fun, didn't you?_

 _I'll send her your love_

'Selim.' Ed growled in his head.

Ed lunged forward blindly, his hand grasping for a certain Prince's throat.

His vision started to come back as he felt hands grab his. He heard an unfamiliar voice in his ear.

"Ed." The voice said. "Calm down, you're safe."

Ed's vision cleared and he saw a man sitting by his bed, looking at him with concerned eyes. Ed instantly grabbed him by the collar of his coat and pulled him forward.

"Where is he?" Ed rasped.

"What?" The man said. "Ed, you need to calm down."

"Where is Selim?" He growled, "I'll kill him! I need to kill him. I need to save her."

"Ed listen to me." The man pleaded.

"Who are.." Ed trailed off as he got a real good look at the man by his bedside. He looked like him, only different. Actually this guy looked a lot like...

"Alphonse?" Ed whispered in a quiet voice. Indeed it was the same man who he had dueled on the Cliffs of Insanity. But his eyes and hair were now gold instead of brown. 'That one eyed bastard was telling the truth!'

He let go of Al and sat back, sitting up so that he was resting against the headboard.

Al's face lit up when his brother called him by his name.

"You recognize me?" Al asked.

"Yeah." Ed said quietly, eyes wide as he took in all the similar features that Al had. "I recognize you."

Al started talking, "Edward, this is going to sound shocking but-"

"We're brothers, aren't we?" Ed interrupted.

Al sat back in surprise, "How do you know?"

Ed shifted on the bed and groaned at the soreness in his side. "It's a long story. But tell me, was your mother's name Tricia?"

"Yes." Al said eagerly, "My-our father told me about you and her."

"What did he say?" Ed asked.

"A lot." Al gave a small smile. "He said she was beautiful and kind. He said you had a temper."

"Hey Al, mom...she's-." Ed started to say.

"I know." Al said sadly. "She's dead, like dad."

"Did he ever say why you two left?" Ed asked. "Mom said it was because of a battle."

"Yeah." Al said. "The Amestrian war with Drachma. A Drachman brigade was tearing apart villages in the north."

"Where did you go after that?" Ed asked.

"Baschool." Al answered. "You?"

"A small village in the east." Ed answered.

The two brothers were quiet as they stared at each other, unsure of what exactly to say. Finally Al spoke again.

"How has your life been?"

Ed sighed, "It's had it's ups and downs. Recently a lot of downs. How about you?"

"It could be worse." Al shrugged.

"Have you just been wandering around by yourself?" Ed asked.

"It was like that for a little while, then I met up with Alex." Al said.

"The giant? How's he doing?"

"He good, he's downstairs actually."

Ed nodded and made a mental note to ask where here was. "I was a wanderer too." He said, "Then I found a home."

Al nodded and they were quiet for a little bit before he asked another question.

"How did mom die?"

Ed's face saddened as memories of sitting by his mother's bed watching her drifting away came back into his mind.

"A fever." Ed answered with a sad sigh. "It tore her down. She died before she ever even told me your name."

"Oh." Al said. "Is that why you didn't recognize our dad's name on the cliff?"

Ed winced when he remembered that he could have killed his brother on that day.

Al gave a chuckle, "What were the odds that the two of us meeting? The fucking stars must have a been aligned or something."

"It would have sucked if we ended up killing each other." Ed said, half heartedly. "Alphonse, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you."

"I didn't know it was you either." Al said sadly. "I could have ended up killing you too."

"Well there was no way either of us could have known...why were you wearing dye and contacts anyway?"

"Why were you?" Al countered.

"Uh, I have a reputation to uphold." Ed offered meekly.

"The Xingese accent?"

"Yeah the Xingese accent." Ed said with a chuckle.

Both brothers shared a grin before Ed sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We have a lot to talk about don't we?"

"Yeah, I guess we do." Al said looking down.

Suddenly Ed was struck by an image with long blond hair, and beautiful blue eyes. 'Winry!'

Gritting his teeth, Ed pushed himself off the headboard ignoring the pain in his chest. "Sorry Alphonse but that talk is going to wait."

"Why?" Al asked, moving to push Ed back into the bed.

"I have to save Winry!" He proclaimed, berating himself for not thinking of her sooner.

Al's face softened, Ed probably didn't know that she was pregnant. "Edward there's-"

"I promised her." Ed shouted as he grabbed Al's arms. "I promised her that she would never go back to him! That I would protect her. She's been in that castle for too fucking long. I have to save her!" He whispered the last sentence.

"Ok, ok." Al said reassuringly. "I understand, but you can't do anything right now."

"No!" Ed shouted, still fighting to get up. "I have to go! I have to go before it's too late!"

The door to the room opened and in came May and Alex. They stood at the entrance to the door staring at the two brother's struggling.

If Ed had been at his full strength then maybe this would have gone differently, but he wasn't, so Al was able to push him back down on the bed.

Ed opened his mouth in protest, but his head was swimming very badly. So he simply let out a groan and let his head fall back onto the pillow.

"Please." Ed begged in a whisper. "They're going to kill her."

"What?!" Came a cry from the door.

Ed glanced up to see May sprinting over to the bed. She stopped when she was hovering over him, staring down with wide eyes.

"What did you say?" She demanded.

"Selim." Ed whispered. "He's going to kill Winry."

"How do you know?" Al asked.

"He told me." Ed said. "On the wedding night he's going to kill her and frame Creta?"

"Creta?" Al asked.

"It was Selim the whole time! He hired Yoki to kill Winry. He's trying to start a war with Creta." Ed explained as he gripped his aching chest.

"What?" May whispered as Al and Alex exchanged shocked looks. Behind them Izumi was standing by the door with a scowl on her face.

"That's what this whole fucking marriage has been about. He's been raising her like a pig for slaughter!" Ed said through clenched teeth.

In shock, Al lessened his grip on Ed. Seeing an opportunity, Ed hit Al's hands away and moved to get off the bed. Unfortunately for him, his legs had no strength so he just ended up falling on his face. This didn't deter him, as he tried to drag himself to the door with his one arm. Al moved around the bed to grab him and was met by even more resistance from Ed.

"Get the fuck off me!" Ed shouted as he tried to push Al away. "You are not going to stop me."

Suddenly Marcoh appeared out of nowhere and placed a scented white cloth on Ed's mouth.

"Hey!" Al shouted, looking at Marcoh as Ed's eyes began to droop.

"Do you want your brother to calm down or hurt himself?" Marcoh asked as Ed's eyes closed and his body went limp.

Marcoh stood up. "Put him back in the bed."

Al picked up his older brother, who was pretty light thanks to the several days without proper food or sleep. Al placed him in the bed and May pulled the blanket up to his chin. Standing back everyone in the room glanced at each other.

"That was...revealing." Alex mumbled.

"Oh my god..oh my god." May muttered as she grabbed handfuls of her hair and began pacing.

Suddenly the door to the room slammed shut with a loud thud. Everyone jumped and turned to Izumi who had a very serious look on her face.

"All right May, I've been patient but it's time to talk! Who are these people and what do they have to do with the Princess?" She demanded.

Al spoke up, "It's kinda a long story and we don't know all the details.."

"NOW!" She demanded.

Al gulped,"My name's Al, that's Alex." He pointed to Alex. "We've been friends for a long time." He pointed to Ed. "This is my brother Edward. We were separated when I was 10 months old and we haven't officially been reunited until today. What I mean is we've met before but we didn't know who we were at the time. You see, Ed and Winry, the Princess, are in love. They met a couple of years ago before Winry became a Princess and the two of them became engaged. But Ed went off to sea to raise money for their wedding and he was supposedly killed by a pirate. Two years later, Selim comes and blackmails Winry into marrying him by threatening to kill her grandmother. So she becomes a Princess but ends up getting kidnapped by myself, Alex, and our boss Yoki. We thought it was a ransom but in reality Yoki had been hired to kill Winry by some anonymous rich guy. This got stopped by Ed who was alive and had taken on the identity of the pirate who supposedly killed him. Ed beats Alex and myself and kills Yoki. Him and Winry were in the process of getting away when she was recaptured by Selim's men. I don't know what happened to Ed, but I guess he got captured too. So Winry goes back to the castle and I guess they start torturing Ed." Al's voice was thick with anger with the last sentence. "According to Ed, Selim was behind the kidnapping plot and is going to try and kill Winry again to start a war with Creta. Alex and I randomly stumbled upon Winry's old home shortly before May showed up. Winry's grandmother passed away and we decided to go looking for Ed. We found him floating down the river and May suggested we bring him here. So we brought Ed here in the hope of healing him so that we can all band together and save Winry."

Al was panting from the exertion of talking for so long. The rest of the room was staring at him. Izumi had a thoughtful look on her face.

"I think I know some people who would be very interested in hearing what you and your brother have to say." Izumi said.

"Who?" Al and May said in unison.

"Some people who are unhappy with our nation's current condition." Izumi said cryptically. "I can get a message out to them and they can be here within a day."

"Can they help Winry?" May asked.

"I believe they can." Izumi said, and with that she turned around and walked out of the door.

Al sat down next to Ed again.

"You should rest Al, you look exhausted." Alex said. "There's a couch downstairs, I'll watch him."

Al glanced up at his friend and gave him a small smile. "Thanks Alex." Pushing himself up, he gave Ed one final glance over before exiting the room. May followed him.

"So what's the plan?" She asked.

"Wait for Ed to wake up." Al said. "See what Izumi's friends have to offer."

"I hope they can help, the wedding is in three days."

"Three days?" Al asked.

"Yeah, it's almost dawn." May said. "We've been up all night."

"What a night." Al sighed

"You can say that again." May sat down next to him.

Al let out a humorless chuckle. May turned to him with a questioning look. "What is it Al?"

"I was just thinking, if Ed was that worked up now. What's he going to be like when we tell him Winry's pregnant?" Al explained.

May gave a small smile, "I don't think anything in the world would stop him from running off to rescue Winry. It's so touching, how much they love each other."

"Don't worry May, we'll save her." Al said.

The two of them sat there in comfortable silence. After a little while Al felt May resting her head against his shoulder. He rested his head against her's as he felt her small hand interlocking with his. He smiled and gave May's hand a squeeze as he felt exhaustion beginning to overcome him.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _Ed opened his eyes, he blinked as he tried to focus his vision. With a groan he sat up and looked around._

' _Where the hell am I?'_

 _Ed was sitting in a dark hallway. The floor and walls were made of stone, the atmosphere was damp and murky. Moving slowly he rose to his feet, using the wall as a support. Once he was on his feet, Ed tried to get his bearings._

' _How did I get here? The last thing I remember was…I was at a house and Alphonse was there!' Ed tried to remember who else was there when he looked down at his chest and gasped. All of his wounds were gone, there wasn't a scratch on him!_

' _Is this real?' He thought before a loud scream filled the corridor, a familiar scream._

" _Winry!" He shouted as he took off down the hall, following the sound of his beloved's screams. He turned a corner and found a hallway that was the same as the one before. Winry screamed again._

" _Ed! Help me!"_

" _I'm coming Winry!" He shouted as he ran down the narrow passage. He turned another corner, then another. It just went on and on, yet Winry kept screaming. Ed couldn't tell whether they were screams of pain or not. Either way he had to find her soon! Ed ran around a corner and gasped at the sight in front of him._

 _In front of him was a well decorated room that looked like a bedroom. But that's not what Ed gasped at, Winry was lying on the bed. She was dressed in a torn and bloody wedding dress. It had been ripped open, splotches of dark red blood stained the white fabric. Winry was hugging her arms to her naked chest and sobbing. At Ed's gasp she looked up. Her face was bruised and bloody, tears ran endlessly down her cheeks._

" _E-Ed." She croaked out, her voice hoarse from all the screaming._

 _Ed started to rush forward when he saw someone was standing next to the bed. It was Selim. The Prince gave a dark chuckle and grinned evilly at Ed as he pulled his pants up._

" _Oh Ed it's about time you got here. The wedding was a wonderful event, but I found the after events to be far more… pleasurable." He spoke tauntingly._

 _Ed gave an animalistic growl and charged forward to tear Selim's head off. Suddenly something cold and metal wrapped around Ed's chest and limbs._

' _What the fuck!'_

 _Ed turned and saw Bradley standing behind him holding long chains. Ed was then pulled off of his feet and across the floor. He let out a cry and struggled to free himself but it was useless. Suddenly he was lifted off the ground and slammed down into a chair. The same chair from the dungeon._

 _Ed found himself unable to move as Bradley shackled him to the metal chair. Ed glared at the man who had murdered his father, before looking back at the bed. Selim was now standing next to Winry with a dagger in his hand. The Prince looked at Ed. "Now, I want you to watch as I kill the woman you love." He grinned._

" _NO! Leave her alone you bastard!" Ed shouted as Winry continued to sob on the bed._

" _E-E-Ed please save me." She begged, her tearful eyes were locked onto his. "Please Ed!"_

 _Ed felt his own eyes fill with tears as he watched Selim raise the dagger. Furiously he struggled against the shackles, but it was no use. There was nothing he could do!_

Ed eyes shot open and he gasped as if he was choking. He was back in the bed, no Selim or Bradley in sight. As he sat up trying to catch his breath he touched his face. He felt tears slowly cascading down his cheeks. Ed was half tempted to give into the emotions of the crushing horrors his nightmare had shown him. He didn't however, when he saw Alex sitting in a chair next to his bed. Alex was staring at him with wide yet sympathetic eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked.

"What do you think." Ed mumbled as he laid back on the bed. "Where's Al?"

"Sleeping." Alex answered, "What was your nightmare about?"

Ed was silent as he stared up at the ceiling. Images of Winry, terrified and bloody, floated through his mind. He glanced over at Alex.

"Hey, no hard feelings about chocking you out?" He asked.

"Nonsense." Alex said. "I was actually hoping you would win."

Ed nodded, "So, uhh, how long have you known Al?" Ed asked.

"About 4 years." Alex said.

"What can you tell me about him? I don't really know who he is."

"He's the closest friend I have." Alex said, "Most people are too intimidated by my size or think I am an idiot. But Al never judged me or made fun of me like the others. He's always defended me from those who have insulted me. I am so grateful to him for that. He's kind, yet tormented. Well I guess everybody is nowadays. He doubts himself a lot, but in the end he never gives up. He can be witty and despite us working for Yoki, he always tries to do the right thing. I'd give my life to help him."

Ed nodded then moved to sit up.

"Thanks for the information Alex."

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"Downstairs." Ed sat on the edge of the bed looking down at his feet.

"But you should rest." Alex said.

"No!" Ed barked, then softened. "I can't lie in this bed anymore knowing she's out there. I have to do something, I need to talk to Al."

"I'll call him up." Alex offered.

"No." Ed said. "I'm getting out of this bed." He pushed himself off the bed, but didn't make it very far. His legs have out under him and he caught himself with his hand on the floor.

Ed looked up at Alex. "Hey Alex, could you lend me a hand?"

"Ummm." Alex said uncertainly.

"Either you help me or I'll crawl downstairs." Ed said. "What'll it be?"

Alex hesitated for a moment before relenting. He easy pulled Ed up and held him up with a single hand. Ed huffed at the way he was lifted like a child before moving his feet forward to start walking.

Together they walked down the stairs into the living room. In the room Ed found Al and May sleeping on the couch leaning on eachother.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ed asked loudly.

Both Al and May woke with a start, they looked at each other before jumping apart with blushes on their faces. Al regained his composure and stood up. "Ed you're awake."

"Obviously." He replied dryly before turning to May, "I don't think we've been introduced?"

"Oh apologies!" May sprung to her feet. "My name is May Chang. It's so good to finally meet you Edward, I've heard so much about you from-"

"Winry." Ed cut her off. "She mentioned you in the swamp, said that you were a good friend. Thanks for looking out for her"

May blushed at the compliment while Ed looked at everyone then frowned. "Why are you all just standing around? Don't you remember what I said? Selim's going to kill Winry?" His voice raised.

May frowned deeply, "I remember Edward, but we were waiting for you to wake up."

"Well I'm up! Time to stop fucking around." Ed shouted. May took a step back as Al stepped forward.

"Ed.." He said, taking a hold of his brother's shoulder. "We just can't rush into this, we need a plan, you need to rest!"

"The owner of this house, Izumi Curtis, says that there are people who can help us rescue Winry. She left to go get them, they should be back soon." May informed him.

"How soon?" Ed demanded.

"Today." Al shrugged.

"When's the wedding?" Ed asked.

"Three days." May said.

Ed sighed worriedly as he ran his hand through his hair. Looking down, he gazed at the port where his metal arm should have been.

"Al?" Ed looked up. "Can I ask a favor?"

Al sat up, "Of course."

"I need you to send a message out." Ed said. "There's a person at the docks that I need you to give it to."

"Ok." Al said, standing up. "Who is it?"

"An associate." Ed said. "He'll give my message to my crew."

"Your crew?" May asked.

"Yeah, my crew." Ed said. "If we're storming a castle, I want some men I know I can trust. I also need a new arm."

Ed wrote his note and handed it to Al who quickly set out to deliver it. After that it was just May and Ed sitting in the room.

"Ed." May said, "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" He asked.

"We went to Winry's house earlier." May said slowly. "When we were there Pinako was very ill."

Ed stared at her with an emotionless look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Ed." May said. "She died."

Ed's eyes widened slightly and his mouth opened in shock. May looked back with a sad look on her face. With a sigh, Ed rested his head in his hand.

"Was she suffering?" Ed asked.

"No, she was pretty peaceful." May responded.

"That's good...I guess." Ed mumbled. He thought about the grouchy old lady who he had lived with. There was something about Pinako that had always seemed ever lasting. Maybe it was her take-no-shit attitude towards life, Ed just couldn't believe she was gone. His heart broke at the thought of how Winry would react to this. He prayed that Selim wouldn't taunt her.

"Sometimes it seems like life is unnecessarily cruel." He mumbled to himself.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Shit!" Winry cursed as she dropped the candlestick and gripped her bleeding hand. She looked at the door knob and sighed when she saw that she had made no progress.

'Well this had been a waste of time.' She chided herself. 'What is this door knob made of? Why can't I get it out.' For the last four hours Winry had been trying to remove the door knob in an attempt to escape. Her last try had involved a candlestick that she'd sharpened but had only ended up cutting herself.

Winry glanced back at her hand, there was a gash across her palm but thankfully it wasn't deep. She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. She'd been locked in her room for almost two days and hadn't bathed at all. Her bed gown was dirty and ruffled, as was her hair.

'Where's May when you need her.' Winry joked dryly. She walked over to her giant closet and tore some fabric off one of her dresses. She then used it to bandage her hand.

'I used to do this to Ed all the time. That idiot always ended up hurting himself.' She chuckled to herself. She thought back to when he impaled himself on a metal plate after falling off a ladder. She had healed him then kissed him on the cheek. 'That was when I really started to notice him. I was so worried when he came stumbling into the barn with that plate in his chest. But Ed was tough, he's always been tough.'

Winry felt a few tears forming, but refused to give in to her emotions. Hastily, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and walked to her window. The sky was a lot clearer than it had been earlier. She could actually see the sun. The clouds from the storm were still clearing up.

It has to be around midday, her breakfast had been dropped off a few hours earlier. That meant her lunch should be arriving soon. 'Maybe I can overpower the guard and run for it….yeah that won't work.' She thought. Poking her head out the window, her room was more than a hundred feet above the earth. 'Maybe I could make a rope out of the dresses and bed cloths.' She mused.

Suddenly she heard the lock on her door click and the door opening. Winry kept facing the window as she heard the plate of food being placed the small table near her bed.

"Thank you." Winry muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome Princess." Came the voice of King Bradley.

Winry whirled around with a gasp and saw that indeed it was Bradley.

"What do you want?" She said, trying to sound brave.

Bradley's cold eye regarded her before he began advancing towards her. Winry paled and stepped back until he was directly in front of her and she was trapped against the wall. Bradley didn't say a word, just stared down at her with a emotionless glare. Winry's breathing was heavy but she was able to control it. Mustering as much courage as possible, she stood tall and glared defiantly back at the one eyed man.

"Do you need something Lord Bradley?" She said.

Bradley raise his eyebrow before stepping back from her. He turned and began to slowly walk around her room. He moved slowly and methodically, like a predator circling his prey. "Why were you out of your room two nights ago?"

Winry gritted her teeth, "I was going on a walk."

"During a storm?" Bradley paused in front of her bed and turned to look at her.

"I like the rain." She said.

Bradley turned away and looked at her bed. "I've noticed that your room is in disarray. Your handmaiden hasn't been doing her job very well?"

Winry swallowed before speaking. "How can she clean my room when you're thugs won't let anyone in?"

"You raise a good point Princess. Now tell me, when was the last time you saw Basque Grand?" Bradley turned to look at her.

Winry kept a calm face but inwardly was a nervous wreck. "Two nights ago. He checked in on me and I haven't seen him since. Has something happened to him?"

"You're a good liar Princess." Bradley said taking a step forward. "But not a great one."

"I'm not lying, I last saw him two nights ago." Winry snapped.

"Now right then you were telling the truth." Bradley said. "And yes, something did happen to your bodyguard. His corpse was found caught on some branches half a mile down the river."

Winry feigned surprise, "Oh."

"He was stabbed to death with a small blade. This one actually." And to Winry's horror Bradley pulled her kunai out of his pocket. "Look familiar?" He said holding it up.

Winry felt sweat form on the back of her be neck. "Not really." She lied.

"LIE!" Bradley uncharacteristically shouted causing Winry to jump in fright. She paled at the fire burning in Bradley's eye. His mouth was a thin line, his face as blank as stone. Winry suddenly felled like a mouse trapped in a cage with a cobra. With a flick of his hand, the knife was embedded in the wall right next to her head. Winry gasped and briefly glanced at the knife before looking back at Bradley.

"Grab it." Bradley said. "I'm sure you know how to use it."

Winry's heart was pounding in her chest, no way was this going to turn out good for her. "I will not."

Bradley narrowed his eye, "Hmm maybe I'm wrong, maybe you didn't kill Grand."

Winry gave a sigh of relief.

"But your handmaiden may have."

"What?" Winry's eyes widened.

Bradley put his finger to his chin as if he was thinking. "Her name's May Chang right? An immigrant from Xing if I recall. That kunia there is Xingese and Ms. Chang has been seen with several in her possession. She was last seen the night Grand was killed and trust me I have searched the entire castle. She's no where to be found"

Winry was silent, unsure of what to say.

"I'm not a fool Miss Rockbell, I know you and her are closer than you would let us believe. And it would be illogical for her not to notice how the Prince has had to discipline you."

"If you're trying to threaten me or May just spit it out Bradley." Winry barked.

Bradley stood tall and menacingly over her. "I already have men looking for Miss. Chang. When she is caught she will receive the punishment that disobedient servants deserve. The murder of a knight however is a much more serious and slower matter. I can only imagine she'll deny it but there are ways to find the truth."

"May didn't kill Grand." Winry said. "I did."

Bradley's expression didn't change. "Now why would you do that?" He asked calmly.

"Grand...he…" The wheels in Winry's head spun as she tried to think of something to say. "He..tried to force himself on me."

The best lies where always sprinkled with a little truth.

Bradley nodded. "He tried to force himself on you out in the rain?"

"Yes." Winry said. "He thought the storm would make it too loud for anyone to hear. He came into my bedroom..drunk..he dragged me outside and I did what I had to do."

Bradley had a curious look on his face, "Where did you get the knife."

"May gave it to me. I can't imagine why." Winry said sarcastically as she glared at Bradley.

"No need for sarcasm, Miss Rockbell. But I am curious why you didn't tell me all this when I found you." He said skeptically.

"Really? Maybe it's because of the beatings, molestations, poisoning, humiliation, and the threats against my Grandmother. Stop with the bullshit Bradley! You and your dickless Prince made that pig my bodyguard, all I did was defend myself!" Winry spat at Bradley before he struck her across the face.

While Bradley looked strong; his hit was harder than she had expected, knocking her to the ground. Her face stung and her side groaned in pain.

"That was for insulting the Prince, you commoner. But you're right about Grand. Assigning him to be your bodyguard was an ignorant decision on our part. Have no fear Miss Rockbell, we will not assign you anymore bodyguards."

Winry scoffed from the ground. "Is hitting me the only way you people get your messages across? It's starting to get old, try being original for once."

"Trust me, I can be very, very original when it comes to inflicting pain. For example, if I my men do find your handmaiden then I will use the Lingchi method of interrogation. I take it you don't know what that is. Very well, it is a Xingese torture method that involved many small slow cuts all across the body. You cut the victim with small gashes, tiny enough so that they don't bleed out. Eventually the victim will die from pain, shock, or blood loss. It's been known to go on for days, my longest experience was a week. The pain is agonizing, from my observations it appears to be one of the most painful ways to die." As Bradley has been talking he had grabbed the kunai off the wall and was dragging lightly across Winry's cheek. Suddenly he flicked his wrist and Winry felt a small sting on her cheek.

"I guess Selim doesn't want me to look pretty for the wedding." She glared up at Bradley.

Bradley almost smirked and stood up, "Please, I barely broke your precious skin." He paused before speaking, "You may be telling the truth about Grand. But if you are lying, I will find out." Bradley turned and began walking towards the door. "Oh Miss Rockbell, if you have any plans of escaping then you might want to look outside." He said before exiting.

Winry frowned and got to her feet. She walked to her window and gasped. There were tents, thousands of tents surrounded the castle. She could see soldiers walking among them.

'It looks like Selim called in the entire army. How did I not notice them before? Even if I did climb out my window, I'd never make it past them! Oh May please hurry.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed played with his fork as he stared down at the steak in front of him. At the moment May was talking with Sig about something in the kitchen. He glanced up when he heard Al sit down next to him.

"Hi." Al said cheerfully.

"Hi." Ed said back. "Did you find the man on the dock?"

"Yes." Al said. "He was where you said he would be."

"He took the message?" Ed asked.

"Your crew should be here tomorrow."

"Good." Ed said.

"Not hungry?" Al asked looking at Ed's full plate.

"No." Ed said as he went back to staring at his plate.

Al glanced down at the plate before looking back up at his brother.

"We're going to save her." Al said.

Ed nodded, looking back at Al.

"Thank you, Al. For saving me, for volunteering to help me. Thank you for everything."

"Anytime, brother." Al said.

"I never took the time to thank you when I woke up." Ed said. "I was too...emotional at the time."

"You have every right to be." Al said.

"I...I'm scared." Ed said honestly as his hand gripped the fork tighter. "I'm scared I'm not going to save her. That I'm going to fail her again. It I let anything happen to her. If they touch a single hair on her head. It'll be my fault. I don't think I could live with it." Al could see some mist in Ed's eyes.

"It's going to be ok." Al put his hand on Ed's.

"I don't believe in fate." Ed said, continuing. "I never have. But I believe that I was meant to end up at that smithy. I could have gone anywhere else, but I ended up there." Ed paused for a moment before continuing. "I didn't have a purpose in my life until I met Winry. At first we'd fight all the time. She would give me a chore to do then I would complain and neither of us would get any work done. But slowly, I realized that she was everything I could have asked for. When I first met Winry I thought she was bossy, kinda obnoxious, and a total gearhead. But I soon I saw the beautiful, funny, kind, caring girl that she truly was. She's my reason to keep going. She kept me going for the last two years and she gave me the strength to get out of Selim's pit. Without her I would have died a long time ago. Every breath I take belongs to her. Every step I take is because of her."

The two brothers were once again quiet as they each thought about something very important. Having talked about his reason for living Ed remembered Al's hunt for their father's killer. At the moment he was thinking about how to tell Al about Bradley.

Next to him, Al was thinking about the baby. May and him had decided that Al should be the one to tell him, but he didn't know how. He could see that Ed was freaking out about Winry being in danger, who knew what the addition of a baby could cause. But Al decided that Ed had a right to know.

"I need to tell you something." They said simultaneously.

They both blinked in surprise and opened their mouths at the same time.

"But it's really important." They again spoke as one.

The two of them stared at each other.

"So now what?" Ed said.

"Ed." Al began. "What I have to say is crucially important."

"Same here." Ed said.

"Trust me." Al said.

"Trust me!" Ed repeated, starting to get annoyed.

"Just flip a coin or something." Alex suggested from the kitchen.

Ed took this opportunity to start talking. "Al did you ever learn the name of the man who killed our father?"

"No." Al said with narrowed eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Well." Ed said quietly. "I know who he is."

Al's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Sitting back in his chair, he raked a hand through his relatively short hair before looking back at Ed. Both May and Alex had stopped talking and were listening from the door.

"Who is it?" Al asked with a shaky voice.

Ed's mouth formed a snarl, "He's the one who tortured me relentlessly for the last week and a half."

Al's face drained of every last remaining color that it had.

"The Prince's right hand man?" He asked incredulously.

"Bradley!" May said in shock.

"How do you know?" Al asked.

"The bastard told me." Ed said. "He asked me if I was you then taunted me about it. The fucker showed no remorse whatsoever."

Al's face contorted in anger and a blaze of rage that no one in the room had ever seen shown in his eyes.

"That motherfucker." He muttered under his breath.

Alex stepped forward cautiously.

"Al?" He asked, putting a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"I'm going to kill him!" Al snarled. "When we break into the castle I'm going to kill that one eyed fucker."

"I won't get in your way." Ed said. "You can kill Bradley, I'll kill Selim." Al nodded while May frowned.

"I found him." Al muttered to himself. "I finally found him."

Alex was watching Al with concern and frowned at Ed. "You shouldn't have told him like that." He said disapprovingly.

"No..I'm fine Alex I..just need a moment." Al said sitting back down. May quickly sat down next to him and took his hand in hers. Al gave her a small smile which she returned. Looking back at Ed he spoke.

"Thank you for telling me." Al said, pulling himself together. "I need to tell you something as well."

"What is it?" Ed asked.

Al glanced at May before looking back at Ed.

"Winry's pregnant."

Ed's reaction seemed to occur in slow motion. Every emotion and thought could clearly be seen on his face. He was shocked, scared, happy, then scared again. His face turned as white as a sheet.

"What did you say?" He whispered.

"Winry's pregnant with your child." Al said a smile breaking out on his face.

Ed gulped and ran a shaky hand through his hair. His feet were tapping nervously, He seemed to be staring at something that wasn't quite there. His eyes were big and it looked like he'd forgotten how to breath.

"It's mine?" He asked nervously, looking at them with concern written all over his face.

"Yes." May said, with a small smile. "It's definitely yours."

"Holy shit." Ed muttered to himself. "Holy shit, holy shit...oh shit….I got Winry pregnant." He finished dumbly.

The other people in the room couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes you did Ed." Al said. "You're going to be a father."

"A father." Ed repeated, the full realization seemed to finally hit him when he said those words. "I'm going to be a father."

His expression darkened, "If Selim does anything to her. I'll cut his heart out with a toothpick."

Alex spoke up. "I have to ask. How do you plan on participating in this big castle rescue? You can't even stand by yourself."

Ed growled and was about to respond when the door to the house opened. Everyone tensed, but relaxed when they saw it was Izumi. She stepped in and glanced at Ed.

"You're up, good. You'll want to talk to these men." Izumi stepped to the side, allowing the two men behind her to enter the house.

Both of them had black hair, but one of them was taller and had glasses. The other one had a more serious expression and lacked the small smile of his bespectacled companion.

Izumi spoke up. "This is Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes. They can help you."

Ed stared at the two men with a look of skepticism. "How?" He asked.

The two men looked at him, the serious one spoke up.

"Are you the one with information about the Prince's plans?"

"As a matter of fact yes." Ed said. "But I asked you a question first."

"Ed." Al warned. "Don't be rude."

"We used to be in the military." The bespectacled man spoke up before introducing himself. "Hello, I'm Maes Hughes."

The man who had to be Mustang spoke up again. "Izumi told us what you told her, but I want you to repeat it again for us."

"Only if you tell me how you're going to help us save Winry." A rapidly irritated Ed said.

Mustang stared straight at him. "Once you tell us we can formulate a plan that includes rescuing the Princess."

"Includes?" Ed asked, his frown deepening.

"Mr. Elric, you have to understand." Hughes spoke up. "There are many factors at risk here. Some that go beyond the Princess."

"Like what?" May asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The whole nation itself." Mustang said, pulling up a chair to sit down.

Izumi spoke up. "Roy and Maes are members of an underground group that formed shortly after the last war with Drachma."

"We've been concerned by the actions of the recent monarchs." Hughes said, "The purpose of our organization is to observe the actions of the King and deal with him if his actions threaten the safety of the realm."

"I've never heard of a group like this." Al said.

"That's because we don't want you to." Mustang said. "I doubt if Selim even knows we exist."

"So you've been 'observing' Selim right?" Ed sneered. "Well what's your opinion of him as a leader."

"Increasingly worrisome." Mustang said. "The recent military activity has been raising a lot of red flags. Particularly the attack on the Thieve's Forest. If it's all for a war that he intends to start then we need to know."

"The bastard is planning to start a war with Creta, he told me himself." Ed said with a scowl. "He's going to do it by killing Winry on the wedding night!" He paused and observed the men absorbing the information.

"Well?!" He said angrily.

"So he plans to use the murder as a catalyst for starting a war?" Hughes asked.

"I just said that!" Ed bellowed but the two men seemed to ignore him.

"That would agree with our recent intel of troop movement." Mustang said turning to Hughes.

"He's mobilizing for war." Alex said from the back.

"It would appear so, Selim's army is currently making camp in the remains of the Thieves Forest." Hughes said.

Al and Alex glanced at each other.

"Alex and I were at the Forest. We saw what happened." Al said.

"It was senseless slaughter." Alex added in.

"Then you know what we're up against." Mustang spoke seriously before glancing at Ed. He could see the impatience and anger practically radiating from him. "We haven't forgotten about the Princess, Mr. Elric."

"Oh you haven't huh, then let's go get her!" Ed exclaimed.

Mustang sighed, "You must understand that there is more at risk here then just her life. Selim is planning to start a war that will kill millions. We can't just rush into this."

Ed let out a growl and threw his hands in the air. "That fucking bastard told me in explicit detail all the depraved things he's going to do to Winry. And ever since I've woken up, everyone here has just been sitting around doing jack shit!" Ed's eyes landed on Al and May before he addressed the room again. "None of you idiots understand. If you're not going to help then I'll go save her myself!"

"With one arm?" Izumi asked skeptically.

"Fuck off." Ed said before standing up and walking on shaky feet towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" May called after him.

"To be with the only one who seems to give a shit, myself." Ed slammed the door behind him. An awkward pause fell over the room.

"Well that was productive." Mustang drawled before Hughes elbowed him.

May turned to Al, "Al go talk to him."

"Me?"

"You're his brother." May stated.

Al looked at the door uncertainty, "What do I say?"

"You can figure that out for yourself." May said with a sympathetic grin. "But let him know that he is not the only person in this house who cares for Winry."

Al looked from her to the door and sighed. Standing up he followed Ed outside. When he opened the door he saw Ed standing a little in front of the house with his back towards him. Ed didn't turn around to see who had followed him.

"You're not the only one who cares about Winry." Al said.

"You do?" Ed said looking over his shoulder. "You hardly know her. All you've ever done is participate in her almost getting murdered."

Al growled, "I was talking about May. And yes I do care about Winry. I care about her because I liked her as a person for the brief time we were on a boat together. I also care about her because of how much she means to you."

"Then let's do something about it." Ed snapped.

"Like what?" Al said exasperated. "We have no rescue plan and you can't even walk down a flight of stairs by yourself. Not to mention your lack of automail."

Ed went back to staring ahead of him.

"Plus if we go to save her then I can find Bradley." Al said. "I've been hunting that bastard for 10 years. Don't you think I want to head out as soon as possible? Your crew will arrive tomorrow. By then we can think of a plan and all head out together."

Al turned around when he heard the door opening and saw Hughes coming out.

"If you don't mind Alphonse, I'd like to have a word with Edward." Hughes said.

"Ok." Al shrugged before heading back inside.

Hughes walked up so that he was standing next to Ed staring out into the distance as well.

"Your brother's right you know. We can't do anything until we have a plan and you're ready."

Ed let out an angry sigh. Hughes could see him deflating a little bit.

"How am I supposed to just wait here for everything to be ready?" Ed asked. "Winry's death has a set date and every second gets closer to it."

"I understand what you're going through." Hughes said sympathetically.

"Do you?" Ed glanced over at him.

"I have a wife, her name is Gracia." Hughes admitted. "If she was right now in the same position as Winry you'd have to hold me down to keep me from rushing to them."

"How come no one has to hold me down?" Ed asked.

"Because you're smarter than me." Hughes said. "You know that running into this head first is just going to get you both killed."

"The three of us killed." Ed interjected.

"Excuse me?" Hughes asked.

"Winry's pregnant with our child." Ed said.

Hughes stared at Ed with wide eyes before regaining his composer. "Well congratulations. I have a daughter myself." He smiled.

"How old?" Ed asked.

"Three years." Hughes said.

Ed gave a small smile and nodded in response.

"That's why I'm doing this." Hughes said. "For them. If I allowed the ruler of this nation to send it into chaos for his own glory, then I would have failed as both a husband and a father."

Ed let out a sigh, then turned around and walked back inside. Hughes followed with a grin on his face. "Oh Edward, sorry about Roy. I know he seems like a stiff but he's a great guy. One of the few willing to stand up to Selim."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Ed said as he opened the door.

Back inside Ed found everyone in the same positions as he left them. Al was standing next to May, Alex was in the back. Izumi looked rather impatient. Without saying a word he sat back down in his previous chair.

"Are we all good?" Mustang drawled.

Ed bit back his retort.

"What do you guys have in mind?" He asked.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"So let me get this straight." Ed said. "You want us to break into the castle, while you take control of Selim's army?"

"Correct." Mustang said. "You are to infiltrate the castle and neutralize Bradley and Selim...while saving the Princess." Mustang added after a glare from Ed.

"Why us?" May asked. "Why not people from your group?"

"You know the castle more than anyone else." Mustang said, then looked at Ed and Al. "Plus the two of you understand the necessity of this mission's success."

"Also if this fails, we're the ones who'll get our heads chopped off, not your people." Ed said.

Mustang ignored that comment.

"What do you mean by neutralize?" Al said.

"Different for each case." Hughes said. "We need Bradley dead. Without him the military will have no commander. But we will need Selim alive."

"Hell no!" Ed shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Do you have any idea what that bastard has done! What he has done to Winry" May joined in, the prospect of sparing Selim enraging her. "He needs to pay for what he has done." Al stepped forward and place a calming hand on her shoulder.

"And he will." Hughes assured them. "But it has to be through legal means. We can't just storm the castle and slaughter the Prince. We'll be viewed as killers not liberators."

"And what does keeping him alive accomplish?" Ed asked.

"We put him on trial for crimes against Amestris." Mustang said. "Make him answer for everyone of his actions in front of the entire nation. And after that's all done we'll execute him for treason."

"Treason against what exactly?" Alex asked.

"The government that we will set up in place of the monarch." Hughes informed them. "It will be democratic in nature, without the absolute power of a king."

"And you think that's going to work?" Ed asked.

"This country is ready for change." Izumi said. "For too long the daily lives of normal people have been held in the hand of a tyrant on a throne. We will bring stability where there was once cruelty."

"This all seems pretty ambitious." Alex said.

"Yes, it is." Mustang said with a grin.

"And after we 'neutralize' Selim, what happens to Winry?" Ed asked.

Mustang raised an eyebrow and turned towards Izumi, "Remind me again, what is his relationship to the Princess?"

"I'm her-" Ed began but Izumi's voice was louder.

"He is her fiancé." Izumi said.

Mustang raised an eyebrow. "Well you've found yourself in quite a love triangle." He said with a smirk.

"Shut up." Ed mumbled.

"To answer your question, we're not quite certain." Mustang said. "The Princess is very popular with the people of this country. She could be very useful with swaying public opinion about the new government."

Ed stood up. "Winry is not going to be a pawn in anybody else's political game! The only reason she's in danger is because of someone's damn political scheme. When this is over I am taking her far away. We're leaving this damn country and never coming back." Behind him May, Al, and Alex nodded in support. Izumi was also scowling at Mustang's statement.

Mustang and Hughes exchanged glances, Hughes gave him a pointed look.

"Have a heart Roy. What if it was Riza?" He whined.

"Fine." Roy groaned, "When this is all over you and the Princess can go far away to live happily ever after."

"Good." Ed said, sitting down.

"When is the right time to move in?" May asked.

Mustang paused for a moment. "We will need help in order to handle the military. And me and Hughes need to contact our allies. I'd say at least two days."

"Two days!" Ed said, immediately fired up again. "That's the day of the wedding, the day he's going to kill Winry!"

"I know and I don't like it either. But we don't really have a choice." Mustang sighed, "This has to be done perfectly or else we risk failure." He turned to look at Al, May, and Alex as well. "Do we have a deal?"

Everyone looked at each other before Ed spoke.

"Deal."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **This is probably going to make a lot of people sad, but the next update will be the last chapter of this story. It is going to be followed by a short epilogue that I will upload at the same time.**

 **I hope this one wasn't too long. There was a lot of talking and setting up for the grand finale.**

 **So next chapter it's all going to come together. In this chapter I realized that my favorite scenes to write are the ones between Ed and Winry. Hopefully they get reunited next chapter. Because not everyone is going to have a happy ending.**


	14. Chapter 14

**LEASE READ! IMPORTANT!**

 **I feel like the biggest scumbag in the world.**

 **I promised all of you one final chapter and an epilogue and after several weeks of waiting I couldn't deliver. The reason for this is that when I said I'd wrap this story up in one chapter I extremely underestimated my ability to write. I had to split the final chapter in half because it was so long and I'm not even done with the second half. At this point it's close to being twice as long as this chapter. It just keeps getting longer and longer and I don't want to rush it.**

 **So for now here's part 1 of the finale. I don't know if I'm going to do an epilogue. I think I can give enough closure without it. I've misled you before so we'll see.**

 **I'd also like to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. Your positive feedback has always brightened my day and motivated me to make this story as good as possible. Some of your suggestions have actually greatly influenced this story such as Ed returning with automail and alchemy. Thank you all for your patience, I will upload the final chapter as soon as I can.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The applause was loud, louder than anything that Winry had ever heard. The sun was shining bright as she stood on a balcony looking down at the citizens. As her gaze drifted through the crowd she felt an emptiness. Standing next to her was her new husband and king. The old King had finally died last night so today's ceremony had served as a coronation as well as a wedding.

She looked next to her, towards her husband.

Selim was smiling at the people and waving. His black eyes glanced over at her and he turned her face to kiss her deeply. She didn't fight back. When the kiss broke, Selim turned back to the square. Winry just stood there, unaware of what was transpiring around her.

'He didn't come.' Winry thought to herself.

In her mind, there was only reason why Ed wouldn't come.

He was dead.

Selim turned to leave, pulling her hand with him. He stopped when he felt that she wasn't moving. Looking over his shoulder he saw that she was still facing the crowd. There were tears coming down Winry's face. Selim scowled and dug his fingers into her hand. "Come on you wench, we have a celebratory dinner to attend." He snapped impatiently. Winry wasn't listening to him. She didn't care about his damned dinner, she didn't care about anything.

Wrenching her hand out of his grip, surprising him with her suddenness. Winry turned around to glare at him. Raising a hand up, she slashed him across the face with her nails. Leaving red lines that quickly spilled blood. As Selim writhed behind her, she turned to look at the crowd again. Walking to the rampart, she climbed up so she was standing on the edge. Looking down, she placed a hand on her stomach.

"I won't let you be his child or let him kill you." She said before looking past herself to the ground.

With one final breath, she closed her eyes and stepped forward...

Winry woke up with a start.

After a few moments of confusion she realized that she was sitting up in her bed. Letting out a tired sigh she laid back into the soft pillows.

"I have got to stop it with the suicide dreams." She muttered to herself. This was the second time in two days.

Looking up at the ceiling, her hands found their way to her stomach. Would she really kill herself and her child to protect it from Selim? The thought of her child's death turned her blood to ice, yet so did the thought of it living with Selim. If her baby looked like Ed then Selim would know that it wasn't his. Then what would he do? Kill it? Worse?

Winry paled at the thought of Selim keeping her child alive. But only barely enough so that she had to watch it suffer endlessly. Instead of taking his frustrations out on her like he usually would, he'd hurt the child. That would be worse than anything he could do to her and Selim would surely know that. Two birds with one stone.

If that happened, then she'd end up killing him, either in his sleep or sometime else.

She'd kill him.

Then she would be executed for treason and who knows what would happen to her child after that. If they found out that the child was illegitimate, would they hurt him or her? Winry knew that Bradley wouldn't hesitate to do something horrible.

'But none of that's going to be a problem.' She thought in her head. 'Ed's going to rescue both of us.'

Even in her head it sounded weak. She'd tried to hold onto hope but the last few days had been slowly killing that hope. It was even worse now that May wasn't here to keep her spirits up. Letting out a tired sigh, she rolled over onto her side.

"Might as well get some more sleep." She mumbled to herself. "I am getting married tomorrow."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"You wrote down the correct address, right?" Al asked.

"Yes I wrote down the right address." Ed snapped.

"Okay, no need to be rude." Alex said from behind them. Ed glanced over at him for several seconds and then sighed.

"Sorry." He apologized. "It's just been a long night."

"I can imagine." Al said as he looked back out at the people passing by in the street. Ed and him had been sitting outside of the Curtis' butcher shop for the last hour and a half waiting for Ed's crew to show up. Alex had decided to join them thirty minutes into the wait.

Ed stared into the crowd with a collected look on his face, his sharp eyes moving over the people as they passed. His hands were calmly on the limbs of the chair. He hadn't moved in all the time he'd been waiting, his black coat keeping him warm against the cool morning air.

"What time is it?" Ed asked. His voice was controlled but Al and Alex could both pick up on the subtle tenseness of his voice.

"The old clock inside said to was close to eleven in the morning." Alex said. "Don't worry Edward. I'm sure your crew will be here."

After a few moments of silence Al spoke up.

"So what are you going to name the baby?"

"Huh?" Ed turned, caught off guard by the question.

"WHEN we save Winry, what are you going to name the baby?" Al asked calmly.

"Don't you think it's a little too early to be talking about that?" Ed said as he ran his hand through his hair.

Alex placed his large hand on Ed's shoulder, "Hey everything's going to be okay."

"Oh yeah, we'll storm the heavily guarded castle during a royal wedding, following an extremely complicated plan. Fight our way through the dozens of armed soldiers; kill a master swordsman; and rescue Winry in order to stop a war that will kill millions of people. Meanwhile, a bunch of guys who I don't trust will try to take over the military. The odds of us all living through this are fantastic." Ed said dryly.

"I'm just trying to stay positive, Edward." Alex said.

"And in an answer to your question." Ed turned back towards Al. "I'm sure Winry wants in on the great name debate."

"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Alex asked.

Ed furrowed his forehead as he thought.

"I don't really know." He said. "I guess there are pros and cons for either of them."

"Well no matter what you two can always have another." Al said.

"That'll be the day." Ed chuckled. "Let's all be alive by the end of the week. After that we can talk more abut the future."

"What can I say? I'm excited to be an uncle." Al said, shrugging happily. "I'm still getting used to being a brother, but this new prospect has potential."

Ed nodded before he perked up. Looking down the street, he grinned.

"Well it's about time."

"Are they here?" Al looked over Ed's shoulder to see.

Ed stood up and started walking down the street.

"Come on." He waved with his one hand. "I'll introduce you."

Al and Alex followed Ed and they quickly saw the men that Ed had been waiting for.

They were huge.

Four men, almost the size of Armstrong, were coming down the road towards them. When they saw Ed, one of them with sideburns waved.

"I have to say, I never thought I'd miss the sight of your ugly mugs." Ed said as he walked up to them, his boots crunching on the gravel road.

"Nice to see you too, Captain." A man with glasses said with a gruff voice.

"Fucking hell, boss." A dark skinned one said. "You look like shit."

"The last week and a half has been pretty rough." Ed said quickly, his eyes moving over his men. "Where's Neil?"

"Right here." A much smaller man said as he came out from behind the the four taller men. He looked to be only a few years older than Ed and was kind of scruffy. He was carrying a large bag over his shoulder.

"Didn't see you." Ed smirked. "Did you bring the stuff?"

Neil nodded, "An arm and black powder, just like you asked."

"Good." Ed said nodding. "How's the rest of the crew doing?"

"A bit bored." Neil said. "There's two pools going on about you. One is if you'll be successful in you romantic quest, the other is whether you'll survive."

"How am I doing?" Ed asked, a smirk on his lips as he folded his arms across his chest.

"It's up there." One with sunglasses said with a shrug.

"So how'd it go with your ex?" The one with sideburns said.

"Did you finally get laid?" Sunglasses asked.

"Technically we never broke up, she just thought I was dead." Ed said. "And to answer your question Zampano, I did and it was fan-fucking-tastic." Ed gave a small smirk.

The five men laughed. The one with sideburns ruffled Ed's hair, causing Ed to let out an annoyed sigh.

Ed stepped away from them. "Ok assholes, I'd like to introduce you to my brother, Alphonse."

"Brother?" The five men turned to look at Al.

"Uh, hi." Al gave a small wave.

"Yeah it's a long story." Ed said. "And that's Alex." He pointed to the large man.

"Alexander Louis Armstrong." Alex introduced himself as he held his hand out.

Zampano shook it. "Wow you're big."

"Great size and exceptional body mass has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations."

Ed then introduced his men. "The one with the sideburns is Darius, Heinkel's the one with the glasses. The guy with dark skin is Jerso. The one with sunglasses is Zampano. The short guy's Neil."

"Hi." Neil waved.

"Well now that everybody knows each other, let's go inside and get down to business." Ed motioned for them to follow..

"And what exactly is that?" Darius asked. "You weren't very specific in the letter."

"We're going to be breaking into the castle during the royal wedding tomorrow and rescue the Princess." Ed said over his shoulder as he walked towards the house. Al glanced back at the five men before turning to Ed.

"I was kinda expecting more men." He stated.

"I considered bringing in everyone but too many people could blow the operation. Besides those four guys are my best fighters and my most loyal. I trust them not to back out." Ed said with a hint of pride.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The four big pirates sat there in silence as Ed explained all of the events that had transpired since he had set out on his own. Ed was sitting in a chair, Neil at his side. The mechanic was quietly setting up his automail. Al, May, and Alex stood off to the side.

Heinkel spoke first. "Well shit."

"I know right." Ed sighed.

"So right now your girl is trapped in the castle?" Jerso summarized.

"Yes." Ed said.

"And we're all going to sneak in to rescue her?" Zampano added.

"Correct."

"And while this is happening." Darius spoke up. "A bunch of weird ass conspirators are going to take over the military?"

"Well I'm glad all of you were paying attention." Ed said, looking his men over.

"How are we getting in?" Heinkel asked.

"May." Ed pointed to May, who shyly waved in response. "She was Winry's handmaiden. She knows how to get in and out."

"And once we're in, then what?" Darius asked.

"Well, that's the fun part." Ed said. "While most of the soldiers will be stationed outside of the city, there are still going to be a good amount of soldiers in the castle. Now stealth would be the most preferable way of doing this but Winry's being watched too closely to do that the whole time. Eventually, we have to jump out and start fighting. When that happens the four of you and Alex will cause a distraction."

"What kind of distraction?"

"Right now, the dungeons of the castle are filled with people from the Thieves Forest." Ed said. "Freeing them will provide a good distraction."

"Won't these unarmed civilians just be slaughtered by the soldiers?" Izumi asked, standing off to the side, away from the pirates.

"While some of you are freeing them, the others will secure the weapons from the barracks so they can defend themselves. After that all of you will engage the soldiers along with anyone who wishes to fight as well." Ed added.

"So what's the black powder for?" Neil asked.

Ed smirked, "The other part of the distraction involves setting off explosions within the castle. If we position them just right they should free the prisoners."

"I'm guessing that part was your idea." Neil said in a deadpan.

"What are you and Al doing while all of this is happening?" May cut in.

"Well Al volunteered to kill Bradley. I assume that you'll find that bastard leading the soldiers in the fight so Al should probably stay with you guys. I'm going after Winry and, if I encounter him, take out Selim." Ed g before growing serious and turning to his men. "I'm going to be honest. This will be extremely dangerous. If you don't want to risk your lives then I won't fault you for backing out."

"What?" Jerso said. "And miss out on meeting the Winry that you wouldn't shut up about. Hell no."

Ed smirked, expecting that answer. He then looked over at Neil.

"You ready?"

Neil slid the new metal arm into the port.

"Yes." He said as he readied for the nerve connection with his wrench.

"Do it." Ed said as he took in a breath.

Neil twisted the tool and Ed gave a small cry as pain shot through him. Al, May, and Alex flinched, having never witnessed automail being connected before. Ed panted as the pain began to fade from his body.

"Did I ever mention how much I hate that part?" Ed breathed as he glanced over at Neil.

"Every time I do it, boss." Neil answered.

Al walked over to the chair. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ed answered. "It's just something I have to go through every time I get a new arm. It's the price of having my limb back."

Al nodded, "Do you think you'll be ready for tomorrow?"

"No matter what, I'm going." Ed said determinedly. "The stuff Marcoh's been giving me is enugh."

"Rest." Al said. "Don't worry, I'll carry you there if I have to."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Son...son are you there?"

"Yes father, I am."

"Oh good." The frail old voice sounded through the bedroom. "I...I...haven't seen you recently."

"I've been busy, father."

"I-I know...I just like to see you."

"Thank you, father."

"How's the wedding going?"

"The planning is going very well. The kingdom's anniversary is tomorrow."

"Oh is it? I can't wait! I..I..want to see it." The old man smiled. "Your mother always wanted to see you married. I guess I'll see it for the both of us."

"That's very nice, father."

"How's your bride? She is so nice to me...can I please talk to her?"

"I'm sorry father, Winry is occupied. Rest and when you wake up you may speak with her."

The old man smiled. "I'd like that."

The old King relaxed back into his pillows and soon he was breathing evenly.

Selim looked down at his sleeping father. With a smirk, he picked up a spare pillow and got to it.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"...thirteen...fourteen...fifteen...sixteen...seventeen."

"Hey Ed." Al said as he walked into the room.

"Hey Al." Ed was doing push-ups to test the strength of his new arm.

"You look better." Al observed.

"Thanks." Ed muttered as he moved into a sitting position. Al sat down on a nearby chair. He glanced out of the window and smiled when he saw Alex interacting with Ed's crew members. They seemed to be getting along very well.

"So..." Ed spoke. "Any word from Mustang?"

"No, Izumi said we should hear back from him by tonight."

"Yeah we better." Ed muttered. "I don't trust him."

"Why not?" Al asked.

Ed turned to look at Al. "I don't believe he truly has Winry's best interest in mind. In fact I think it would only benefit him if Selim killed her. Make the people more pissed off at that bastard Prince." Ed growled. "And what if things start to look bad? He could just step back into the shadows and leave us all to die. Let us take the fall while goes back under his rock."

Al frowned. "You do have a point… but Izumi and Hughes seem pretty adamant about helping Winry. And I hate to say it Edward but there's a lot more going on then just Winry."

"I know, the whole war with Creta that we gotta stop." Ed sighed. "Of course I'm not going to let Selim kill millions of lives, but Winry is still my number one priority. I'm not doing this for some revolution, I'm doing it for her."

Al chuckled, "Ya know brother? Despite your outward appearance, you're just a hopeless romantic aren't you?"

Ed merely mumbled an inaudible response before a small smirk appeared on his face. "Speaking of romance, what's going on with you and May? The two of you seem pretty...close."

Al blushed slightly, "What are you talking about? We're not close. We've only known each other for about a day."

"One day, huh?" Ed said. "Good for you Al. It took me around seven months to realize I was hopelessly in love with Winry."

Al's face went full blown red as he stumbled with a response.

Ed kept taking, "I know it's hard to accept. But once you come to grips with your maddening desire for her, you can get to the good part."

"Shut up!" Al said, sounding like a child.

"I'm just trying to make sure my little brother doesn't miss out on-" Ed's teasing tirade was cut short by Al tackling him to the ground.

"You try to help a guy." Ed muttered sarcastically as he struggled with Al on the ground, trying to push his younger brother off of him. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Wait, did Dad ever tell you the bird and the bee's story?"

"Will you shut up!" Al pinned Ed's arm behind his back as he pushed him down.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

The two Elrics looked up to see May staring down at them in confusion.

"Brotherly bonding." They said simultaneously.

May shook her head and walked upstairs. "I'm heading to bed. If Mustang shows, wake me up."

"Will do." Ed said from his position on the ground. He frowned as felt a small sting in his stomach. 'Dammit, I'm not fully healed yet.' He thought, resisting the urge to clutch the stinging area. 'It doesn't matter, nothing is going to stop me tomorrow!'

"Hey Elric or Hohenheim, whatever your name is, I need a word with you." Came Izumi's demanding voice from the kitchen.

Ed's brow furrowed, "What do you think she wants?"

"I don't know, she sounds kinda angry." Al said nervously. "I'd go quickly, you do not want to get on that woman's bad side. Trust me."

Ed got off the floor and dusted himself off before walking into the kitchen. Izumi was cutting vegetables with a large knife. She glanced out the window with a frown before turning to Ed. "When your brother first arrived at my house, I warned him against causing an trouble."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Okay...and?"

"And I just want to let you know that those thugs of yours are not to step another foot inside my house again! Is that clear?" Izumi spoke authoritatively.

Ed narrowed his eyes. "Okay Mrs. Curtis I am grateful for your help but-"

"Then you'll respect my rules." She said bluntly.

Ed started to get annoyed. "Hey! Those are my men. I'm not going to have them sleep in some filthy gut-YYAAHH!" Ed screamed as a meat cleaver embedded itself in the wall, a few centimeters from his head.

"Is that clear!" Izumi asked, her eyes practically shooting fire.

"Okay! Okay! They can sleep in an inn." Ed squeaked as he retreated out of the kitchen. He stopped in the hallway to catch his breath. 'Fucking hell!' He thought. 'Is that woman psycho?' Once he regained his composure he walked to the back door. His crew members were still talking and laughing with Alex.

'Yeah, those assholes will be fine in an inn...as long as they don't cause a fire or kill anyone.'

Looking at the sky he saw the sun setting in the distance. 'Shit this day flew right by.' His mood grew more serious. 'Mustang should be getting back to us sson. We should start getting ready to move in.' His fists clenched as doubts began to creep into his mind.

'No matter what happens, I am going to get her back.'

Al was sitting on the porch, watching his brother. As he did this he was also sharpening his sword. It needed to be nice and sharp.

'Tomorrow's the day.' He thought as his gaze traveled to the sword. 'Ten long years of searching will finally end.'

King Bradley.

The name that had always eluded him. The man who had always escaped him. Tomorrow there would be nowhere else for him to hide. Tomorrow Al would meet his destiny. One way or another.

'No matter what, I will avenge you, father!'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The sounds of bells were the first thing that she heard. Winry groaned as she sat up in her bed.

It was her wedding day.

Throwing her legs off the side of the bed, she stood up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Somebody shut those damn bells up." She groaned. Sure it was the nation's five hundredth anniversary, but some people were trying to sleep. She sat down in one of her plush chairs, waiting for breakfast to arrive.

'Whenever you feel like showing up, Ed.' She thought bitterly to herself. At this point she'd pretty much given up on any hope on being rescued. A small part of her was still holding out; a very small part though.

To her surprise, breakfast wasn't brought to here like usual. Instead a servant came in questioning when she would be ready to come down.

"Come down for what?" She asked.

"For your breakfast, your Grace." The man said.

"Umm...ok." She said as she got up from her chair.

The servant left and Winry moved to get dress. Looking through her closet, she looked for a suitable dress for breakfast. There weren't many casual ones. The best one had been the blue dress, but Selim had destroyed that one on the night he assaulted her.

 _oh I cannot wait till our wedding night!_ Selim's voice rang in her head.

Winry froze in her process of putting on a simple silver dress.

"Shit...that's tonight." She said out loud.

Her hand unconsciously drifted to her stomach. She'd been doing this every time she felt nervous.

Taking a breath, she headed to the door to go to breakfast. Her thoughts dominated by the morbid promises of the night to come. The servant was waiting for her and she followed him. This was the first real time that she'd been out of the room since she killed Grand. It was nice to stretch her legs.

When she got to the dining room, she was relieved to see that Selim wasn't there.

'At least life has some moments of relief.' She thought to herself.

Her presence was noticed by almost all of the people in the room. She received many friendly nods and concerned inquests about her health. She told all of them that she was fine as she took her seat at the table.

As she waited for the food to be served she looked up and down the table. For the people who were sitting there and the people walking around there seemed to be a solemn sadness in the air. The food was placed in front of her and she eagerly began to dig in. As she ate, she could still feel the sadness that hung in the air. Curious, she signaled a black haired servant who was passing her.

"Yes, your Grace?" He asked.

"Hi." She said. "Sorry to bother you, but did something happen? Everyone seems rather sad."

The man's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" Winry asked, a little irked by the vagueness.

"The old King passed away last night." The man said causing Winry to gasp in surprise.

"He did?" Winry asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, your Grace." The man said. "He passed away peacefully in his sleep."

"That's so sad." Winry said quietly. She was genuinely sad. She had liked the old man very much; he had always been kind to her.

"Yes it is, your Grace." The man agreed. "But he had been ill for a long time. At least now the Prince can officially become the ruler of the realm."

"Yes." Winry said tensely. "At least there's a silver lining."

Glancing down at her mostly empty plate, she looked back up at the servant.

"Would you mind taking this back to the kitchen for me? I believe I'm done."

"Of course, your Grace." The man picked up the plate and dutifully walked away.

Winry glanced at the man then down at the knife she was hiding under her arm. Moving quickly she hid the blade in the sleeve of her dress.

Standing up, she moved to head back to her room.

'I'm killing him tonight.' She thought.

She'd been thinking long and hard about this and had decided to go through with killing Selim.

'I'm tired of being his victim.' She thought. 'And my child will not be hurt by that monster.'

Any consequences that she had to face because of this would be better than having to live with Selim. Maybe she wouldn't even be executed? Maybe when people found out she was pregnant, they'd show her mercy. She could always say the murder had been in self defense. The people would probably believe her, especially after finding out she was pregnant. She could say that Selim had been abusing her and that the premarital pregnancy was the product of that abuse. Maybe he had found out about the pregnancy and attacked her in a fury? But any plan that she could come up with would be destroyed by Bradley. She might be able to kill Selim but there was no chance of her killing Bradley.

'Maybe..maybe if I found Scar and talked to him, he'd kill Bradley.' Winry thought. 'If not, I could get to the Castle's chapel then invoke sanctuary for me and my child. But I'd have to get out of the room and to the other end of this freaking huge ass castle. Aaauugghhh why can't something go right for once?'

No matter what happened, she'd deal with it when it came. She had to.

She was on her own.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"No, no, no! I said that the roses go around the doorway, not the alter you idiot!" Selim barked at the trembling servant who squeaked an apology and rushed to fix his mistake. The Prince groaned and rubbed his face. 'Idiots the lot of them. They're lucky I don't throw them out on the street with the rest of the garbage!'

He was standing in the royal chapel inspecting the wedding decorations, as was expected of him. 'Why must I have to do this? This menial task is beneath the future king!'

Selim stopped his ranting and smirked as he remembered the previous night. It had gone perfectly, the old fool didn't even put up a fight. Not that Selim had expected him to.

"You appear rather content for a man who has just lost his father." Came the familiar monotone voice of Bradley as he approached the Prince.

"My father was once a strong and wise man." Selim said. "It was cruel for him to linger as he was. I'm just glad that he can finally be at peace." He was unable to hide his malicious grin.

"Lead by example." Bradley commented as he led Selim into a secluded corner. "And while I am here I must ask, what are your plans for the bedding ceremony?"

Selim gave Bradley a confused look.

"It's kind of in the name." Selim scoffed.

"She will fight back." Bradley said.

"I hope she does." Selim smirked. He turned his attention back to the wedding preparations.

"After you're finished indulging yourself, you will follow through with killing her?"

"Of course." Selim said. "Why are we going over the plan?"

"Because I suggest you change it." Bradley said bluntly.

Selim spun around with an irritated look on his face. "And what should be changed?"

"Don't fuck her." Bradley said. "Just kill her."

"Why should I?" Selim folded his arms. "Have you grown soft, huh King?"

The idea of simply killing Winry infuriated Selim. For weeks he had fantasized about having her all to himself. Having her bound and helpless on his bed, unable to fight back while he acted out every fantasy of his. He relished in the thought of her succulent, soft body beneath him while her eyes filled with tears and her screams filled the room.

Suddenly Bradley was standing over Selim with a hand gripping his shoulder painfully.

"Listen to me." Bradley said. "You and I have spent too long planning this. There can be no liabilities, no chances."

"There won't be-" Selim tried to protest.

"She's craftier than you give her credit for. Remember she claimed that she killed Grand." Bradley said. "What if she should overpower and kill you?"

"She won't-"

"Don't take that chance." Bradley snapped. "Just kill her."

Selim scowled, "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this? Why should I be denied her body?"

"How much longer have you waited for your 'glory'?" Bradley asked impatiently. "If you want I can find all of the blue eyed, blond haired whores in the kingdom. You can play with them for as long as you want, but tonight be astute."

Selim bit his lower lip, his rational side was fighting against his personal desires. After a few minutes he gave an annoyed scowl. "Fine, I'll just kill the bitch and be done with it."

"A wise choice." Bradley folded his arms behind his back.

"While we're on the topic of planning, is everything ready?" Selim asked.

"Yes, the army is camped only a mile from the castle and the generals are all assembled. We will be ready to mobilize against Creta by the end of three days. By then the entire kingdom will have heard of the Princess' tragic end." Bradley had spend days making sure that everything would be prepared for their scheme.

"We should bury her before we set out. She can share a funeral with my father." Selim chuckled. "I've already started writing a rousing speech for the occasion."

"I assume you wish to eventually remarry?"

"Well a King does need heirs." Selim said as he began to walk out of the chapel; Bradley followed. "I'll be a bachelor for a few years, be in 'mourning' after my triumphant victory over Creta. By then every man of some worth will be practically begging to sell their daughters to me. I'll pick one of noble birth, taking another peasant girl would be too painful for my weary heart." Selim rolled his eyes. "I'll need that one to last a while, at least until I get enough heirs. I'd like another blonde. I guess I have a thing for blondes."

"They certainly have a fire to them." Bradley said.

"Anyway." Selim clasped Bradley on the shoulder. "Tonight is the night that our plans finally come to fruition. It'll be a night to remember."

"I certainly hope so." Bradley monotoned before giving a bow and heading out of the chapel.

Selim watched his right hand man leave and then gazed around the chapel, taking in all the decorations.

'Tonight is the night.' He thought. 'Nothing can stop my destiny.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _Six hours until the wedding ceremony._

"Damn it!"

Ed groaned as he once again fell to the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt. Slamming his automail fist into the ground, he pushed himself up. Behind him Al let out a sigh.

"If you want to take a break Ed-?"

"No!" Ed barked as he stood up, experimentally swinging his sword through the air.

Alex stepped up. "Tap out?"

"Ok Alex." Al moved out of the way and Alex stepped in front of Ed, padded gauntlets in hands.

"Come on, Edward Elric." Alex challenged. "Show me what you've got."

Ed swung his sword, which he had dulled with alchemy, only for it to be easily blocked by Alex.

'Damn, I'm too slow.' Ed growled in his head.

Ed stepped back, opening for Alex to attack. Alex started swinging his fists. Ed stepped back and used his sword to swat away some of the swings. Eventually, Ed took a wrong step and got a padded glove to the stomach. Letting out a wheeze, Ed fell to the ground.

"Ok that's enough." Al said stepping back in.

"We..need..to keep going." Ed gasped. "I need to be ready."

"Letting us beat you up isn't going to help." Al said. "Just keep resting and taking Dr. Marcoh's medicine."

"What's the use." Ed said. "We're heading out in 5 hours and doubt I'll get any rest in that time."

Ed thought back to the end of the meeting with Mustang that occurred the previous night.

" _We'll head out right before the wedding." Mustang said. "At that time guests will be arriving so it will be easier for us to get around. You need to implant yourself inside of the castle before the ceremony begins."_

" _We're waiting until after the wedding ceremony?" May asked._

" _Yeah." Ed said angrily. "Apparently it's the best time to do it because all attention will be focused in the chapel."_

" _But won't that mean that Selim and Winry will.." May trailed off._

" _The marriage can be annulled by the end of the night." Hughes said. "It's not preferable, but it's your best option."_

" _And after the ceremony there's going to be the feast." Ed picked up where Mustang left off. "As everyone is feasting we ready ourselves and when people start leaving you'll start the distraction. Set the bombs close to the dungeon. The blast should free the prisoners and be loud enough for everyone in the castle to hear. With everyone moving around it'll cause the amount of chaos that we need. In this time, I will have already located the room that Selim will take Winry and Al will kill Bradley."_

" _I'm coming too." Izumi said._

" _What?" Ed looked at her._

" _I'm helping with the distraction." Izumi said. "An alchemist can be very helpful in situations like this."_

" _Huh." Ed said. "You're an alchemist?"_

 _Izumi nodded._

 _Al looked at Mustang and Hughes._

" _What are you two going to do?"_

" _After the ceremony there's going to be a feast among the soldiers to celebrate the nation's anniversary." Mustang said. "There will be alcohol involved."_

" _Perfect time to do something sneaky." Hughes finished._

"You might as well try." Alex suggested, breaking Ed out of his flashback.

"The only thing I'm going to try is that bottle of ale I saw in Curtis' cabinets." Ed said as he walked inside.

"Are you sure you should drink their ale without their permission?" Al asked.

Al and Alex stood there for a moment before they heard a yelp and Ed came flying out of the open window. He landed in a bush as a scowling Izumi closed the window.

The two friends walked up and looked down at a groaning Ed.

"On second thought, resting sounds pretty good."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _Five and a half hours until the wedding._

"Ack! Damn it, shouldn't I still have my skin for the wedding?"

Winry glared at the maid who had just waxed off all of the hair on her arms and legs. The old woman shook her head, like she was scolding a whiny child and walked away. Winry had been dragged down into some dark room to be prepped for the wedding. To her horror, this involved being stripped naked in front of a whole legion of old maids and forced to stand there as they scrutinized her body. After being told she had good birthing hips, she was 'inspected' to see how 'healthy' her breasts were.

Well it could have been worse. At least it was with a bunch of old hags and not Selim.

'At least until tonight.' She thought. She still had the knife hidden in her room. After her bath she'd be brought back to her chambers where she could get it. That and Ed's wedding ring. Hopefully she could hide both somewhere in her wedding dress.

'I hope you'll enjoy your wedding gift Selim. I know I'll enjoy giving it to you.' Winry thought darky. She could imagine the look of fear that would appear in his eyes right before she'd bury the blade in his neck.

Winry was violently pulled from her murderous thoughts as the maids were ripping her body hair off. And it friggin hurt.

Winry opened her mouth to say something but was suddenly lifted in the air by two other old, yet surprisingly strong, maids.

"What the hell are you doing?" She screeched.

Without a word she was dropped into a tub of warm water. Now a bath had been something she'd been praying for lately, but not one that could qualify as torture.

'But it's nothing like the real torture that I've endured in this god forsaken place.' Winry drawled as she rubbed soap out of her eyes. As the maids got back to 'cleaning' her, Winry's thoughts drifted back to her plan.

'Why am I so calm? I'm planning to murder a Prince for god's sake!' She thought back to the night she killed Basque Grand. She'd killed him with no hesitation and had no remorse. 'Is that bad? Does that mean I'm some kind of psycho? I killed a man and I felt relieved after it! And now I'm planning on doing it again.'

Winry vaguely felt wet sponges being dragged over her back but she ignored them. 'Dear god what has this place done to me? It's turned me into a killer! But I had to kill Grand, just like I have to kill Selim.' Winry's hand trailed down her naked stomach to her abdomen. Underneath her skin and muscles was a tiny spec of light that was growing more every day.

She had felt something after killing Grand. It wasn't a sick feeling, but it definitely was not happy. She didn't feel any thrill from killing him, only a solemn knowledge that it had to be done. Her actions had been almost instinctual. That man had threatened her child, and she protected it.

'I'm not a psycho.' She thought. 'I'm a mother.'

'I have to do what's best for you.' Winry mentally said to her child. 'We….we c-can't wait for Edward any more. Oh May I hope you stay away. Thank you for trying but please save yourself.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _Two hours until the wedding._

Alphonse sat on the steps of the Curtis shop. The only sound was the scraping of metal against metal as Al sharpened his sword. Once he was satisfied with the blade he glanced up. The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, it was getting close to the afternoon.

'In about an hour Mustang and Hughes will show up, then it'll be time to move in.'

At the moment Ed was in the house going over a few things with Izumi and May. Al could faintly hear their voices through the window. They seemed to be getting along at the moment.

Al thought back to the warning that Hughes had given him the night before.

" _If you're going after Bradley, I recommend that you don't do it alone." Hughes said with a very serious tone._

 _Al nodded._

" _I've seen him fight." Hughes continued, wanting Al to understand completely what he was going up against. "And I don't care how good you are; if you fight Bradley alone, you will die."_

Alex had overheard this and quickly volunteered to stand by Al's side the entire night and assist him. Since then Al had been troubled. If Bradley was really this dangerous then did he want to risk Alex's life just for his revenge?

'It's not just about that.' He told himself in his head. 'It's for the future of this nation.' But Al knew that Alex's life was at risk because Al had volunteered to fight Bradley and his revenge had been the reason for volunteering. Al turned when he heard the sound of the door opening and saw Alex.

"Hey Alex."

"Hello Al." Alex said. "I'm off to gather Edward's men."

"Ok, see you soon." Al said.

Alex nodded and started walking.

"Alex?" Al asked.

Alex turned around. "Yes Al?"

Al looked unsure of how to phrase his next statement. "Alex..you don't have to do this."

"Do what?" Alex asked.

"You don't..I don't want you to risk your life for me!"

"What are you talking about Alphonse?" Alex asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm talking about tonight, the mission. You don't have to help me with Bradley." Al pleaded.

"But you heard Hughes-"

"Yes I did." Al cut him off. "And that's why I'm telling you this. I don't want you to get hurt trying to protect me."

Alex stared at Al with wide eyes before his face turned into a deep frown. He began to advance towards Alphonse.

"Alex what are you AAHH". Al was cut off as Alex grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him into the air. No matter how many times this happened, it always surprised Al how easily his large friend could lift him. Alex glared at Al before dropping him, he hit the ground hard and groaned.

"That is not your decision to make Alphonse." Alex said firmly. "Did you think that I would just let you run off on your own? Do you think that I would let you go to your possible death and not try to help you? What kind of friend would I be?"

Al looked contemplatively at the ground for a few moments before he looked back up.

"You watch my back, I watch your back?"

Alex grinned, "Of course."

Al gave a small smile. "Thanks Alex, I..I'm sorry if I offended you."

"It's all right Alphonse, it'll take more than words to hurt a member of the Armstrong family." Alex proclaimed.

"Okay, after this whole wedding business you're going to take me to see these people." Al said with a smirk which quickly turned into a frown. "You always talk about your family, but you've been hanging around with me for the last few years. When was the last time you actually saw them?"

Alex stiffened a little and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Well Al… a few years ago, me and my family had a falling out. I got into a… disagreement with my older sister over the future of the family. She was always rather quick to violence. It got rather ugly, and well..." He trailed off.

Al's eyes widened. "Why haven't you told me this before?"

"You never asked and I don't like talking about it."

"Shit, I don't know what I've never brought this up. I just kind of assumed something pretty bad happened to make you leave. So you haven't spoken to your family in years over a single fight?" Al asked.

"I know it's stupid and rather clichéd! No need to rub it in Alphonse." Alex looked away.

"Didn't you tell me to get over myself and keep moving forward?" Al asked.

"I did, but-"

"You said that not letting your problems beating you is what makes you a man." Al said. "Are you man enough to see your family?"

It was Alex's turn to look at the ground.

"Maybe." Was his his only reply.

"You are." Al said. "I know you are."

Alex chuckled a little. "Our conversations have been very deep the last few days."

"Yeah they have." Al said. "I don't know, maybe it's the prospect of death that brings out the philosopher in all of us."

"We're not going to die tonight." Alex said confidently.

"And tomorrow, when this is over and we save Winry. Let's go see your family." Al said.

Alex looked uncertain for a moment before finally nodding.

"Yes."

"Good." Al smiled. "We have a plan."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _One hour until the wedding._

"If you relax this won't be quite as painful."

Winry's breaths came out heavy as she gripped the wooden desk she was leaning on. Her face red from the discomfort that the person behind her was causing. She gave a small yelp as movement behind her caused another wave of discomfort.

"Calm down, I'm almost done."

With a final tug and twisting of string, the first layer of Winry's dress was complete.

"What...is the point...of this deathtrap?" Winry glared over her shoulder.

"It is tradition."

"It's fucking stupid."

"Language, Princess!"

"Fuck off."

The old woman gave a humph before turning to get the next piece of Winry's dress.

"I thought weddings were supposed to be a special occasion." Winry muttered sarcastically. After hours of being cleaned, pampered, and dressed up Winry felt exhausted.

Looking behind her she saw the old woman was turned away. Reaching around her as best she could, she loosened the corset.

'There. Now I can breathe.'

So far today she hadn't seen Selim.

'It's unlucky for the groom to see the bride I guess.' Winry thought. She'd always thought that was stupid. What magical force has the power to decide the outcome of a marriage. If that magical force did exist why would it waste time dictating proper wedding preparations? Winry shook herself out of her thoughts as the woman returned with a silk gown that would serve as one of many layers to come.

'Well look at the bright side.' She thought. 'In an hour the wedding will have begun and this will all end. One way to another.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _37 minutes until the wedding._

"You know, we really aren't the most inconspicuous group of people." Ed said.

"Compared to that circus group that just walked past us, I think we're pretty good." Al said.

Ed turned around and looked at the group of people behind him. Al, Alex, May, Izumi, Darius, Heinkel, Zampano, and Jerso. They were all wearing hooded cloaks that allowed them to moderately blend in with the large crowd of people that was gathered outside of the castle. Heinkel and Darius were carrying the gunpowder explosives under their cloaks. Ed himself was wearing his typical black pirate coat. Underneath he hid his sword, sharpened and ready for action. The others had weapons hidden in their cloaks as well. Ed glanced up at the sky. It was close to the end of the day and the sun was on its way down. The castle itself looked very extravagant with many banners and flags blowing in the breeze. Five hundred torches lined the wall, one for every year of the country's existence. The gates to the castle were open as the long awaited wedding was about to begin. The crowd they were standing in was gathering to witness the moment when the newly wed Prince and Princess would come out and present themselves to the them after the feast. The only people actually getting into the castle were rich nobles and leaders of other nations who had been invited to the event. Despite this there was excitement in the air.

Ed glanced from the castle to the outskirts of the city. Where the Thieves Forest had stood a week ago was now a sea of camp fires. Stretching on for almost forever, evidence of the devastating power that would be unleashed on the unsuspecting people of Creta.

'You better do your job, Mustang.' Ed thought to himself. 'Or we're all dead.' Him and Hughes had dropped by the Curtis house an hour ago to make sure everything was ready. They seemed pretty confident in their plan to take over the military. Ed was shaken from his thoughts by May taping his shoulder to get his attention

"Do you know how to get in?" He asked, still staring into the distance.

"Of course." May replied. "Follow me."

"Remind me again where this hidden passage is?" Darius asked from the back. He was immediately shushed by Heinkel and Zampano as there were soldiers within ear shot.

"In answer to your question.." May whispered as they moved away from the guards. "We will enter a passage that will bring us close to the dungeons. I doubt we'll run into many people there during a wedding. Follow me this way."

Alex pushed his way through the crowd as May followed close behind, telling him where to go. The rest followed in teams of two, using Alex's tall head as a guide. Darius went with Heinkel; Zampano went with Jerso; Izumi walked coolly by herself; and Ed and Al brought up the rear.

Ed took this time to delve into his thoughts.

'She's so close. We're so close to each other.' Ed glanced up at the castle. 'Why can't we rescue her before the ceremony? Why couldn't we at least have that?'

Ed's mood darkened at the thought of her marrying Selim. If all went right, it shouldn't last more than an hour. But in that time she will legally be somebody else's wife.

'She should be my wife.' Ed thought bitterly to himself, balling his gloved hands into fists. He knew he sounded like a child, but it was true. 'That should be me with her at the alter. I should be the one telling her my vows and holding her hands. Not him! I'm far from perfect and who knows if I even deserve her. But he doesn't. Not that murderous sociopathic fuckhead! He doesn't even deserve to breath the same air as her!'

Ed took a breath to calm his anger, reminding himself about his promise not to kill Selim. Every time he thought about, it became a lot harder to keep that promise. Images of flashed through his mind of Winry in the Fire Swamp cabin, scared and covered with dark bruises. Ed remembered her trembling in his arms, thinking about all that Selim had done and could do to her. May had told him how Selim had drugged and attacked Winry after she'd stood up to him. Ed had almost vomited once May had finished her painful story. It was yet another addition to the ever growing list of times he'd failed to keep her safe. She should never have gone back to him and that damn castle!

'I'm not going to kill him.' Ed said in his head. 'But I'll leave him just barely alive.' Suddenly he felt someone tapping his shoulder again.

"You okay brother?" Al asked. "You looked kind of out of it."

"I'm okay." Ed said. "Just honing my anger. It might be useful."

Al nodded in understanding. "I've been doing something similar." Ed knew he was talking about Bradley. Glancing behind them, Ed saw that they had left the large crowd and were, for the moment, unnoticed. Up ahead May signaled that they were close to the passage. Immediately the group's pace quickened as they moved out of view from any onlookers. Ed jogged to the front of the group as they hugged the mossy stones of the castle's walls.

"How much farther is it?" Ed whispered to May.

"It's just ahead, near the river." May answered. Ed swallowed as he remembered how only days ago he'd nearly bled to death in that same river. As the group continued, the sound of running water got louder. Soon they were standing on the shore of the river which flowed right by the castle.

"Okay we're at the river, now where is the passage?" Darius asked impatiently.

May gave him an annoyed look before addressing the group. "This way, it's at the sewer grate." May then led them to a part of the wall which touched the river. There was an opening blocked by bars on the castle wall. Dirty water trickled out of the opening and into the river. Behind the bars was a sort of tunnel that seemed big enough for them to fit through.

"This is a drain for the castle's sewer system. It will take us close to the dungeon."

"Do we have to take this passage?" Heinkel whined.

"What? Afraid to get wet?" Izumi asked as she walked over to the drain. She stopped a foot away from it and then clapped her hands before pressing them against the drain. There was a flash of blue light before the drain disconnected from the wall and feel to the ground. Oddly the drain made no sound when it hit the ground. As if was made of light aluminium and not heavy steel. Ed's eyes widened in surprise at the sight.

"So you are an alchemist." He said to Izumi. "Wait? How come you didn't need a circle?"

Izumi gave him a sad smile, "Trust me, you don't want to know. Let me just say that somethings are better off left alone."

Ed decided to question that vague answer later and took the first few steps into the drain. May followed him closely.

"So normally the 'bedding ceremony' would take place in the Prince's chambers?" Ed asked.

"Yes." May answered. "But with the death of the King, it might happen in the King's chambers."

"Shit." Ed muttered to himself. "If I go to the wrong room, then Winry's done for."

"You'll have time to figure it out." May assured him. "A feast will follow the wedding ceremony. Knowing Selim, it will be extremely long and over the top. After that the new couple will present themselves before the crowd before retiring for the 'bedding ceremony'."

"Well isn't that wonderful." Ed deadpanned to himself.

One by one, the rest of the group followed them into the dark passage. Alex and the four crewmen had to crouch due to their large height. Thankfully the ground wasn't too slippery or disgusting.

"Does anything live down here?" Darius asked from the back.

"As far as I know, no." May answered. "Maybe some rats."

"Hey May." Al said as he caught up to her, "How'd you find out about this place?"

"I stumbled upon it." May said. "On my second week of living here I was cleaning near dungeon and a grate fell out from under me. I found these tunnel systems, figured they'd be useful one day."

"This place leads to the dungeons?" Ed asked.

"Yes." May answered.

"Well that's going to make freeing the prisoners easier." Ed observed.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry pulled the veil up to get a look at her face.

She looked stupid.

Her face had been pampered and patted until she barely recognized herself. Her skin looked bleached. Her hair was curled and braided so that it didn't pass her shoulders. Her eyes were outlined with ridiculous mascara.

Winry sighed. 'Maybe Selim will think I look good.' She thought sarcastically.

Standing up, she stumbled. Her dress was more of a cage that an actual dress. Apparently it was a royal attire that had been past down for centuries.

'Funny how everyone who ever wore this dress is dead.' Winry rolled her eyes as she waddled over to the window in her chambers. She was waiting until she was summoned. 'I may also be dead soon.'

The sun was about to set. When it did the wedding ceremony would begin. She pulled a chair up and stiffly sat down. Leaning back she looked at the setting sun. The sky was a brilliant pink and yellow. She thought back to the times she and Ed would watch the sunset. The two of them would sit on the roof of Granny's house for hours to watch the sun.

In her hand she held her ring. This was the ring that mattered, not the false one that Selim was about to give her.

"Ed." She whispered softly. "If you're dead, then I'm so sorry for being the cause of it. I'm sorry I never got to tell you about our child, I like to think we all would have been happy together."

Winry took a breath to keep herself from crying. All of her emotions from the last few days had been building up and were now threatening to explode. But she wasn't going to cry, not tonight.

"I wish I had appreciated you when I had you. I had two chances and I...I couldn't hold on."

Her other hand curled around the knife. She'd sharpened it earlier and there was plenty of room for her to hide it in her dress.

"I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, Ed." Winry spoke. "But, I'm going to do it no matter what. I hope you can forgive me."

Behind her, she heard the door opening. Turning around, with the knife behind her back. She saw Bradley standing at the door.

"It's time, you're Grace."

Looking back at the window, she couldn't see the sun.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"How much longer does this fucking drain go?" Zampano asked from the back. The smell was becoming slightly unbearable.

"Quiet." May warned. "We're under the castle and some of these drains go to privies. You don't want someone to hear us while they're taking a shit, do you?"

Zampano just sighed and continued to move forward with the rest. May and Ed were at the front, May held a candle as she led them down the dark and damp tunnel.

"So seriously." Ed whispered. "How much longer?" He was growing more antsy by the second.

"Not much." May said. "Just a few more minutes."

"When you first found this place, did you explore all of it?" Al asked.

"Yes." May answered. "I was a pretty curious 13 year old."

"13 huh? How long have you been a servant in the castle?" Al asked curiously.

"Three years. I got a job as a maid when-oh look we're here!" May exclaimed as she saw a light up ahead. As the group got closer they could see it was a grate. Ed grinned and ran over to it, once under he began to push on the metal bars. But it wouldn't budge. Reaching his gloved hand into his coat's pocket he pulled out chalk. After a quick circle he transmuted the bars so that they would open up. Glancing behind he saw everyone looking at him. Ed gave them a smirk and climbed up.

Poking his head up Ed was greeted by a dimly lit room. Pulling himself all the way up he looked around as Al came up. It looked like a big storage room. There were some crates and boxes. Ed couldn't help but keep smirking.

They were in.

Eventually everyone was standing in and looking at him for directions. Ed turned to May.

"Where is this room in comparison to the other parts of the castle?"

"It's in the bottom of the castle. The dungeon is right around the corner, to the left." May answered. "A staircase to the right will lead us up and from there we can split off to go to our designated positions."

"If you encounter guards, take them out. But quietly." Ed said to his crew members. "This can all go south if we alert them too soon." The four nodded and readied their weapons in case they had to react quickly.

Everyone went quiet as the distant sounds of trumpets resonated through the walls.

"Well." Izumi said. "Sounds like the wedding has begun."

Ed glanced up with a frown, his fist tightened around his sword handle. Shit was about to go down.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **Once again I would like to apologize for not having the final chapter ready. I will try to finish it at soon as possible, but I'm going to be very busy for the next two weeks. Sorry for all the excuses. Please Review! I want to hear your thoughts.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here (finally) is the final chapter! Everything comes down to this. Will our heroes succeed? Will Selim and Bradley get what's coming to them? Will Ed and Winry be reunited? Or will something go horribly, horribly wrong?**

 **(Btw there will be an epilogue)**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry kept her face neutral as she walked down the aisle. Like the rest of the castle, the cathedral had been extremely well decorated for the ceremony. But she didn't notice any of it. Winry's eyes were glued to the tile floor as she and Bradley walked past the many, many guests standing in the pews. Yeah, Bradley was the one handing her off. This would normally have either been her father or the reigning king, but since both of them were dead the duty unfortunately was given to Bradley. Her large wedding dress wasn't as difficult to walk in as it used to be. Several minutes of practice had fixed that. Her heels were no problem because after so many days of cramped feet, she'd become a pro at walking in them.

The blaring sound of several organs blasting across the room deafened her to any other noises. Not that there were any that she could have heard. The whispering and conversations had died as soon as she had entered the room. All eyes were fixed on the lovely princess as she made her way to her soon-to-be husband.

Looking up, Winry's stomach clenched when she saw Selim for the first time in several days. He was dressed in the King's clothes, with a long, heavy, and rather pompous cloak resting on his shoulders. He had a large golden crown on his head, far bigger than the tiara that she'd been given for this occasion. He smiled when he saw her look up. To others it must have seemed to be a loving smile. But Winry could see the hidden malice and dark intentions in his 'smile'. Based on the amusement in his eyes, Selim seemed to be greatly enjoying her discomfort. Winry kept her face neutral but her eyes spat venom at Selim. This slimy bastard had completely ruined her life, and now he expected her to be his blushing bride. Fuck him!

The music finally died down when she reached the alter. It was elevated so she had to walk up a few steps. Easier said than done. Her skin crawled where she felt Bradley 'assisting' her. And by assisting her, Winry meant that he was practically crushing her arm. His grip on her was strong, probably bruising. It was like he expected her to try and run at any moment. When she had reached the altar, she turned to look at Selim. He was still giving her that sleazy smirk and took her hands in his. Winry bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from reacting. She hated the feel of his skin against hers. Especially when it was meant to be a display of 'affection'. The elderly Bishop cleared his throat before stepping forward and beginning to talk.

"Marriage, marriage is what brings us together-"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed peaked around the corner. A quick left and right glance showed him that all was clear. Looking behind him, he gave the others a thumbs up to continue. As they moved up, Ed heard the creaking of a door opening behind him. Whirling around, he saw a guard coming in from another room. Before either of them could react something sharp and metal flew past his head. The guard had no time to react before a knife embedded itself in his left eye. The man's body went rigid before falling to the ground like a statue. Ed glanced behind him and saw Jerso with his hand outstretched. Ed gave a nod and walked over to the dead guard. Upon getting closer, Ed frowned when the body came into the light. The guard wasn't wearing a royal blue uniform, but a dark brown one.

"That's a member of the Brute Squad." Ed heard Alex say behind him. "Bradley's personal army of thugs and murderers. Why are they the guards at a royal wedding?"

"Because Bradley clearly doesn't want to take any chances." Ed said as his eyes swept over the hallway. "These bastards are probably all over the place."

"We need to hide the body." Darius said.

"Take this guy and throw him into the drain." Ed ordered. Darius nodded as him and Heinkel lifted the corpse by it's hands and feet. Nobody said anything as the corpse was carried past them. It had to be done. All it took as one second of hesitation and this whole operation would be blown.

"We need to keep moving." May said urgently, breaking the group out of their silence. "The wedding ceremony will have started by now!"

"Ok." Ed said, thinking for a second before turning to his remaining men. "Guys, remember how to get back down here. We'll need those prisoners from the dungeon."

"Sure thing, boss." Zampano responded.

Ed turned back to May.

"May, aura time." Ed said. "Is there anyone else near us?"

May closed her eyes for a moment. "There are two guards in the floor above us. They appear to be bored. We shouldn't worry about them for now."

"Look for Winry's aura if you can." Ed said, before turning to Al and Izumi.

"You two ready?"

Izumi nodded. "After the ceremony is over, they'll ring the bells in the chapel. Then they'll have a feast where they'll ring the bells again. At that point we'll start our distraction. Until then we need to lay low and stay ready."

Ed nodded and looked at May who had her eyes closed. She appeared to be in deep concentration. Ed waited a few moments before asking. "Have you found her yet?"

May opened her eyes and fixed Ed with an annoyed glare. "I will if you let me concentrate, there are hundreds of people in the castle. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"Keep looking." Ed said, glancing up at the ceiling.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"-Marriage, that blessed arrangement, that dream within a dream-"

Winry had to fight back the urge to roll her eyes at the Bishop's speech. He'd been basically saying the same damn thing over and over again. Standing next to her Selim seemed to be getting equally, if not more, impatient than her. 'I bet the bastard just can't wait to get to the bedding ceremony.' Winry thought with a slight shudder. She could feel the knife strapped against her left leg. It had taken a bit of brainstorming, but she had successfully hidden it without Bradley noticing. Now all she needed to do was wait for her chance. The Bishop was still talking about marriage and true love. Winry shut him out and thought about whether she could kill Selim before the bedding ceremony.

'Killing him now in front of everyone would be a terrible idea. Wait! Maybe he'll personally escort me to the feast. All I'll need is a few seconds alone and I can end him. I might even be able to get away with it if no one sees me. Apart from Bradley who else would suspect it was me?' Winry thought hopefully before she got a dose of reality.

'It doesn't matter what I do, Bradley will find a way to silence me. Even if no one else suspected me he'd still do it.'

Winry bit her upper lip as she tried to see if there were any situations in which she'd be able to come out of this alive. 'If I was to kill Selim on the way to feast, I could try to escape! Take my chances on the outside rather than with Bradley.' There were several secret passages that May had told her about which Winry could use. But all of them would be difficult for her to get to. She'd have to avoid guards, servants, and wedding guests.

'What's life without a little risk?' Winry thought with a humorless chuckle as she zoned in back to the Bishop.

"-and love, true love. Will follow you forever-"

While Winry listened to the Bishop speak, King Bradley was standing several feet away. Like Winry, he was barely listening to the old priest's speech, instead he was deep in thought.

'So far everything is going according to plan. But that can all change in an instant.' Bradley thought as his attention turned to Winry. 'The girl is definitely planning something. Why else would she be acting so cooperatively. Hmm, I'll need to speak with the Prince after the ceremony.'

But Winry's behavior wasn't the only thing that was bothering Bradley. A warning voice in the back of his mind was screaming that something else was afoot. For most of the day he had been on high alert, yet he still felt that nagging feeling. In response to these instincts Bradley had replaced the normal Royal soldiers with his personal Brute Squad. He had also increased the castle patrols, especially in the lower dungeon areas.

'What could it be?' Bradley thought as his one eye swept over the dozens of wedding guests. 'Every guest in this church has been checked, or is too incompetent to be a possible threat.' Soon Bradley's methodical mind began to consider other threats. 'That Xingese servent girl was never found and neither was Elric's body. There are also those whispers of a possible terrorist group. Its a shame the prince has disregarded any reports of such whispers. I'll have to speak with him about that as well.'

Bradley took this time to look at the Prince himself. As he stood upon the altar, his boredom palpable. Bradley wondered if Selim would he be a good King?

'By himself, no.' Bradley decided in his head. "He's too impulsive and prone to childish anger. His reign will certainly have no lack of incidents unless I reign him in properly. It'll be an interesting experience if nothing else.'

Bradley suddenly felt a quick tap on his left shoulder. Turning slightly, he found himself looking at Captain Raven.

There was a moment of silence as Bradley waited for Raven to make the reason of his presence known. It took Raven another moment to realize he was keeping Bradley waiting then he started talking.

"Well sir, you told me to report to you if there was any abnormalities tonight."

"And?" Bradley whispered.

"One of our guards has failed to check in." Raven said.

"Where was he patrolling?" Bradley narrowed his eye.

"Down in the lower levels of the castle." Raven answered. "Close to the dungeons."

"Is this particular guard prone to laziness or simply a drinker?" Bradley inquired.

"No sir." Raven shook his head. "I can attest that this absence is very out of character for him.

Bradley's mouth formed a small scowl. "Take 25 good men and search the guard's last area of patrol. If you find him alive and well, cut off one of his toes. If not, send one man up to inform me."

"Yes sir!" Raven said as he turned to leave, but felt a hand grip his arm. He turned back to Bradley who spoke.

"If you happen upon any intruders or escaped prisoners, I'm sure you'll know what to do."

"Yes sir!" Raven repeated before heading out.

Bradley watched him go, his hand settling on his heavy sword.

'No liabilities.' He thought. 'No chances.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Down in the bowels of the castle, the ragtag group of conspirators stood, or sat, in relative silence. Al was twirling his sword back and forth in an effort to distract himself. Alex, Izumi, May, and Jerso were still at statues. Darius, Zampano, and Heinkel had left several minutes prior to gather weapons from a nearby armory and to set the explosives. Ed paced nervously back and forth across the stone floor. He had been doing so ever since the first bells had been rung. His thoughts were as nervous as his appearance.

'This better go right, if not then...fuck! Ah those three idiots better not get caught. Why the hell did I bring my four tallest guys? Why didn't I bring someone who can actually do stealth. Someone sneakier like Martel or Dolcetto? Stupid stupid stupid!' Ed chided himself internally before his thoughts turned to what was happening outside the castle. 'By now Mustang and Hughes should have begun their coup de gra against the military. They better not fuck up!'

"Hey." Ed heard Al's voice behind him. "You good?"

Ed looked over his shoulder, "I'm just nervous."

"Pull it together man." Al said. "We need you. Winry needs you."

"Ok...ok I'm good, I'm good." Ed muttered to himself before turning to May.

"Have you found Winry yet?"

May opened her eyes.

"Yes." She said. "I have a sense of her aura."

"How does it feel?" Ed asked, stepping forward. "Is she ok? Does she feel scared? Is the baby ok?"

"The baby's fine." May answered. "Winry's aura is calm at the moment. The ceremony is still happening."

"Okay...okay." Ed muttered before regaining his composure. His confident demeanor returning. "All right May, we should head out now. It's about that time."

May swallowed nervously and nodded, "Indeed it is." She then turned to the rest of the group. "Okay everyone remember, wait until you hear the bells again. That will signal that the wedding feast had begun. Once that happens, do you all know what to do?"

"We all know our parts May." Izumi said in a serious voice, "And we will not fail." Her face softened as she placed a hand on May's shoulder. "Good luck May, don't do anything stupid like dying."

"I'll try not too." May chuckled.

Al walked over to Ed and gave his older brother a small smile. "The same goes for you brother. I don't want to lose any more family."

Ed gave Al a confident grin. "You won't, besides I've beaten worse odds than this."

Al nodded and everyone was about to break up when they heard the sound of a door being pushed open. The group stood frozen as the loud sounds of footsteps coming down the staircase was heard and the distant light of a torch bounced off the walls.

Ed was the first to snap into action.

"Move!" He whispered, motioning everyone to follow him. "Move!"

Ed would have brought them all back down to the dungeon, but Izumi had another idea. With a quick clap of her hands she opened the wall into another storage room.

"In here." She whispered.

No one argued as they all filed in. When everyone was safely inside Izumi closed it, leaving small cracks for them to look out. Moments after the wall was reconstructed a large group of soldiers entered the hallway. They were all dressed in the dark brown of a Brute Squad member. The one holding the torch was a dark skinned bearded man in royal blue. Ed felt sweat forming on his brow. What the hell were these guys doing here? They were going to ruin everything!

"How many are there?" Ed asked May as he glared out of the wall.

"Over 20." May responded.

"If they don't leave soon, then this plan is going to get a whole lot harder." Al grumbled as they watched the soldiers searching the area. It didn't look like they were leaving any time soon.

May nodded and cursed under her breath. "Dammit, we cannot get trapped here. We should have already left the dungeon by now!"

"Oh Shit!" Jerso whispered. "Zampano, Heinkel, and Darius are still out there! They'll be back any second and run right into those assholes."

Ed was silent for a moment, before speaking. "Well folks, it looks like this distraction is going to have to be pushed forward a little." Ed said with a tone of resignation, "We'll deal with it and make it work. Any objections?"

"Are you sure?" Alex whispered. "We'll have to kill all these men."

"These 'men' destroyed the Thieve's Forest Alex. They slaughtered, raped, and mutilated dozens of innocent people." Al muttered. "I got no problem with killing these thugs!"

Alex nodded and motioned to the bearded man. "That's Captain Raven out there. He led the slaughter in the Forest. I'd like to make him pay."

"Edward this is crazy? This could screw the whole plan!" Izumi hissed.

"The plan's already been screwed. Let's at least get them by surprise." Ed smirked pulling his sword out. "We all came here ready for a fight...so let's fight."

Izumi sighed. "Okay." She whispered after a moment.

Al pulled his sword out; May her knives; Jerso his two battle axes; and Alex his spiked gauntlets.

"Everyone ready?" Ed asked, smiling despite how shitty this was. He gave Izumi a nod and she clapped her hands together and pressed them against the wall.

Outside Raven was ordering his men to spread out and look for the missing man. Suddenly there was a sparkle of light behind him accompanied by the sounds of stone crumbling and battle cries. Turning around, he barely got a word out before a spiked fist crushed his face.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"-so treasure your love-"

'Can I just marry Selim and get this over with?' Winry sighed in her head. At the moment she'd like nothing more to do than to pour a bottle of ale over the Bishop's bald head. That might finally shut him up.

 **BOOM!**

Winry stumbled and had to reach out and use the fallen Bishop to steady herself. The whole chapel shook as several chalices on the altar fell to the ground.

Winry blinked in surprise as she stood back up. There was screaming and shouting behind her as people tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. Next to her, Selim was fixing his crown which had fallen in front of his eyes. Turning around she saw several of the pews had tipped over due to the overreacting audience.

'The fuck was that?' Winry thought.

In the center of the frantic people she saw Bradley. His single eye was ablaze as he stormed through the crowd. He grabbed one of the soldiers near the door and said something to him before tossing him away.

Her attention was taken away from Bradley as she felt her hand being roughly grabbed. Selim violently yanked her back into place in front of the Bishop who had finally stood up.

"Finish the ceremony!" Selim barked angrily.

"Your Grace, I-" The confused old man tried to say.

"Skip to the end!" Selim practically shouted, his face red.

The Bishop cleared his throat and straightened his robe. "Do you have the ri-"

"Say man and wife!" Selim ordered.

"But that's not-" The Bishop protested again.

"Man and Wife!" Selim shouted.

The Bishop sighed, "Man and Wife." He said.

Selim let out a sigh and snapped his fingers to signal a guard over. As he waited he slipped a ring onto Winry's finger. When the man arrived Selim gave him Winry's hand.

"Take the princess to the Royal Chambers." Selim said. "I'll be there shortly."

The soldier nodded and gently took Winry by the arm leading her out.

Winry allowed herself to be coaxed. She was only thinking about one thing.

"The fuck was that?'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"The fuck was that?" Ed muttered to himself.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Ed looked around the hallway. By the looks of things, everyone had been knocked off their feet by the unexpected rumble.

They had just started to engage the enemy and were doing pretty ok, then suddenly there was a loud boom and the whole castle began to shake.

Sounds of metal clanging told Ed that the fighting was continuing. Glancing over he saw Jerso hacking away at several Brute Squad members and Izumi punching one into the ground.

The loud sounds of feet moving on the ground grabbed Ed's attention. Looking in front of him, he saw a soldier charging at him with a spear. Ed waited until the last second before throwing his metal hand out. He grabbed the sharpened point of the spear and moved it so that it harmlessly scrapped off the ground next to him. Grabbing his fallen sword next to him, Ed plunged it into the man's throat.

After pushing the dead man off of him, Ed stood up as everyone began to engage the enemy. He looked for Al and saw him dueling a soldier. The man was bigger than Al, but slower. When his opponent brought back his heavy sword to bring it down hard, Al took advantage by slashing the man across the chest, spilling his guts. Ed ran over to Al and grabbed his shoulder.

"What the fuck just happened?" He exclaimed.

Al frowned and chewed on his lip. "I..I think those were the bombs."

"What? But why...oh never mind." Ed grumbled.

The two brothers looked up as a whole new wave of a Brute Squad soldiers came pouring down the stairway. Suddenly a giant fist made out of stone came rocketing past them and slammed into the group of soldiers. Causing those who weren't immediately killed to fall back in crumpled heaps. Ed and Al stood with their mouths opened in shock. They whipped around to see the stone fist was connected to the ground, Izumi was crouched next to it with her hands on the ground.

"This distraction is going well." She said, standing up.

The remaining men on the staircase came down. They were wielding crossbows. They formed a line and and aimed their weapons. Suddenly, behind them; Darius, Heinkel, and Zampano came out swinging. Behind them were some ragged people wielding various weapons. When they were done, the three men can over with sheepish looks on their faces.

"Yeah." Darius said. "Sorry about the explosion boss."

"The hell was that about?" Ed barked.

"Who the hell are you people?" One of the freed prisoners asked.

"I asked the question first." Ed said to the man before turning back to Darius.

"We heard the sounds of you guys fighting and figured the plan had been moved forward." Darius said.

"Well, you're right, sort of." Ed shrugged then looked at the prisoners.

"My name is Edward Elric. And we are a band of various people of various backgrounds working together for a common cause. Tonight the Prince is going to murder the Princess and start a war. If that doesn't sound like a good thing to you then feel free to help us stop him."

The prisoners stared at Ed in shock. They were men and women; young and old.

'Blood of the nation.' Ed mused in his head.

One of the people, an old, dark skinned man with a white beard stepped forward. By the way the others looked at him, he seemed to be the leader.

"I have never been one for violence. But you'll have our aide."

Ed nodded and looked at soldiers lying on the stairs. "They'll be back." He said. "And there'll be a hell lot more of them." He turned to May.

"Time to go." Ed waved for her to come with him. "The rest of you fortify this point." He motioned to the hallway. "They'll have the numbers, but if you hold a line it won't matter. Cover each other, have each other's back. See you all when this is over."

He stopped in front of Al and embraced his brother. Al hugged him back.

"Good luck, Brother." Al said. "Go get your girl."

"You too, Alphonse." Ed ended the hug and stepped back. "Go kill that one eyed bastard."

He looked at Alex, Jerso, Heinkel, Zampano, Darius, and Izumi.

"Make sure you're all around for me to buy you a drink when this is over."

Ed stepped around the rock fist and headed up the stairs. He could hear May following him.

"Do you know where she is?" Ed asked.

"She's on the move." May answered. "I don't know where to."

"Let's catch up with them." Ed said, breaking out into a run.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Selim snarled as he stormed down the stone hallway. Armed soldiers ran past him, heading down to the bowels of the castle. The screams and shouts of confused wedding guests filled the air. It was pandemonium, and Selim was very pissed. Looking around he finally spotted the man he was looking for.

"Bradley!" He yelled.

Bradley looked over his shoulder as he stood in the in the middle of the hallway. Upon seeing Selim he gave a tired sigh and barked some finals orders to soldiers who immediately took off.

"Yes, your grace?" Bradley answered, turning to the prince.

"What the fuck was that?" Selim barked.

"It appears that there is a situation near the dungeons." Bradley said.

"What kind of situation? I thought everything was planned out. You told me that you had everything under control!" Selim's voice cracked.

"For a time it was." Bradley said. "Apparently we have some intruders in the dungeons who have released most of the prisoners. I have sent a messenger to our armies camped by the Forest. A simple request for reinforcements in case this problem turns out to be more then it seems. Presently I am going down there to deal with the problem myself."

"You'd better!" Selim looked as if he was about to stomp his foot like a child and throw a tantrum. "Nothing can go wrong tonight! This is suppose to be my night of glory! Find whoever has caused this disruption and fucking kill them!"

Bradley turned and walked down the hall in the direction of the ddistant fighting.

"I have to ask." Bradley said over his shoulder. "Are you sure that you killed Elric?"

Selim look confused. "Yes, of course."

Bradley's expression didn't change. "It's a shame you decided to toss his body in the river." He monotoned. "Otherwise, we could have confirmed his death."

"What are you saying?" Selim yelled at Bradley.

"Just food for thought." Bradley said with a shrug. "Don't you have a wife to get back to?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The door slammed shut and the sounds of clicking signified that it was being locked.

'Well I guess we're skipping the feast.' Winry thought as she stared in bewilderment at the heavy wooden door.

"Why do I feel like the rest of my life is just going to be a series of locked doors." She muttered before looking around the room she'd been thrown into. It was a room she'd never been in before and was probably the most lavishly decorated room she'd ever seen. The curtains, furniture, and banners were all of the highest quality.

'This is the old King's room.' She realized as she turned to look at the large king sized bed. 'That's where the poor old man died.' Winry thought sadly before she felt bile rise in her throat. 'It's also the same bed where Selim intends to rape me.'

"Hell no." She said out loud.

Winry immediately turned towards the door. It was extremely big, thick, and well crafted. Winry knew that she would never be able to get past it. Moving quickly she then inspected the door's handle and the hinges.

'Fuck, why is everything about these doors so well made?' Winry cursed to herself as she whirled around, searching for any other means of escape but to no avail. Winry briefly considered the window, but remembered how many steps she'd just climbed. She was way too high up to consider lowering herself. With a groan of frustration she sat down on the bed with her head in her hands. 'There's no way out.' Winry sighed in resignation.

After a few moments she lifted her head with determination in her eyes. Winry stood up and grabbed the outer layer of her dress. With a loud tearing sound she ripped the fabric off of the monstrosity that was her wedding dress. Doing so gave her an odd feeling of satisfaction; almost like she was reclaiming the person who she once was. Winry then tore several more layers off until she was satisfied with her mobility. Instead of the big bulky gown she had previously been wearing, Winry now wore a thin white dress that went down to her knees. It reminded of the nightgowns she'd use to wear in back Resembool. She then kicked off her high heels and replaced them with some comfortable flats. If all went well she'd need to be able to run fast. Now that she'd removed most of her cloths Winry felt a bit cold, but thankfully there was a silk robe on a coat hanger. It was silver and also went down to her knees and was extremely soft. As she lifted it and placed it around her, Winry noticed that there was another robe on the coat hanger; a larger one.

'Too bad it's owner is never going to get a chance to wear it." Winry thought in her head as she carefully took her knife out of the pile of ripped fabrics on the floor. Holding it up to the candle light, she ran a finger along the length of the blade. It was still nice and sharp. Winry sighed in relief before glanced at the mirror to see that she was still covered in the stupid makeup and mascara. There was a bowl of water below the mirror and she quickly used it to wash her face. Once all of the annoying makeup was gone she pulled out the braids in her hair. When her hair was free and went down to her waist as she liked it, she stepped back.

'You know...I don't look too bad on my wedding night.' Winry thought with a sad smile. 'If only I had gotten married to Ed, then this would be wonderful.' She glanced down and saw the ring that Selim had placed on her at the beginning of the ceremony. It was big and shiny; expertly crafted with the finest of gems. Without a second thought she violently yanked the ring off and threw it away. With a steady breath she reached into the piles of torn fabric at her feet and began to search through them again, frantically. Eventually she found it. Winry felt herself smile as she looked at the shining object in her hand.

Ed's ring. The one that he had given to in the Fire Swamp. The one which symbolized the love that the two of them had for each other.

Winry slowly slipped the ring onto her finger, where it belonged.

"I'm never taking it off." She said, looking down at her lower stomach where her unborn child resided. "For the rest of our lives, however long that may be, I'm going to wear it." She ran her hand over her flat stomach as small tears threatened to form.

"It would have been nice to at least see a bump; to feel you move and kick." Winry spoke softly. "But just knowing you were there was good enough. Her voice almost cracking with emotions as it turned into a whisper. "I love you baby. Your mommy loves you so much."

After a moment to compose herself Winry glanced in the mirror one last time before moving over to the door. She positioned herself right next to it, the knife held tightly in her hand.

'Come and get me Selim.' She thought in her head. 'You've had this coming for a long time."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Crossbows!" Jerso shouted.

Izumi quickly brought up a barrier to block the oncoming arrow shots. The bolts bounced off the surface and clattered to the floor. When she brought it down, the group braced themselves for another charge.

The Brute Squad hit them with their full might. The line was pushed back a little, but held strong. Al stood at the center with Alex and Darius next to him. Next to them, moving out, was Zampano, Heinkel, Jerso, and Izumi. Behind them were the freed prisoners who were wielding spears and other fallen weapons. They were thrusting the spears between the defenders and stabbing at anyone who came close. The group blocked every blow that came their way and answered every strike with one of their own. The narrow hallway forced the Brute Squad thugs to bunch up and their movements were slow. But while the group was holding the line, they were slowly being pushed down the hallway. They were keeping the soldiers at bay, but it was a struggle to do so. Each one of them had a few cuts here or there. Nothing serious, but the strain was starting to get to them.

"Aarrgghh!" Henkel hissed as a lucky slash from a soldier's sword sliced him across the thigh. He faltered in his step, but drove his own giant broadsword forward, removing the head of the man who had injured him.

"Izumi, spikes!" Al called.

Izumi quickly clapped and dropped to the floor. Suddenly a barrier of spikes came out of the ground pointing in the direction of the soldiers. Men cried out in pain as the stone spikes pierced their bodies. Those that survived quickly retreated to a safe distance away.

"You ok?" Al called, looking over at Heinkel.

Heinkel laughed. "You call that an injury?" He yelled at the soldiers. "Do your worse you fucking shits!"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Bradley walked towards the arch that lead to the southwestern stairwell. The sounds of the fighting echoed off the walls. Up ahead he could see a cluster of soldiers crowded around the entrance. Near the staircase was an injured soldier leaning against the wall.

"My lord." The man cried out when he saw Beadley. "We can't break them. Their position is too strong."

Bradley glanced at the man then back at the staircase.

"Are they on the floor below us?" He asked.

"Yes, Sir." The soldier answered, clutching his bleeding arm.

Bradley thought for a moment before looking back at the man. "Pull the men back." he ordered and then looked at two soldiers who were just standing there. "Fetch a barrel of black powder."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Alex yanked the battle-ax out of the hand of the man who swung it at him. Bringing it high in the air, he smashed the weapon down onto the soldier's skull.

Izumi wielded a staff which she'd constructed with alchemy and deflected the blows of the attacking men. She'd bash them in the head too, when the opportunity presented itself. And these idiots were giving he plenty of opportunities.

The four members of Ed's crew were vicious in their attacks. Swinging and blocking like giant, muscular, forces of nature.

Al utilized all that he had learned over the years. Dodging and weaving between heavy swings. Blocking and parrying every attack which came his way. He was fighting not only for his life, but the lives of his friends and the entire nation.

The hallway was jammed packed with members of the Brute Squad. There seemed to be no end to their numbers. Most of them stood back to avoid the spears held by the freed prisoners. Suddenly, the Brutes started to file back up the stairway. The front attackers backed up until they'd retreated to the the entrance to the staircase. Then like that, they too disappeared back up the stairs.

The bewildered and tired group stared at the now empty hallway in surprise.

"Did we just win?" Alex asked unsurely.

"I don't think so." Zampano said, his breathing heavy.

"Probably just scared them off." Darius said with a chuckle. "Bunch of cowards."

Al bit the inside of his lip and kept his sword raised in front of him. Looking to the side, he saw Alex standing a few feet away. Giving him a once over, he felt relief flood when he saw that he was uninjured. Feeling Al's gaze, he glanced to the side and they locked eyes for a moment. Al could see that Alex was just as unsure about this 'victory' as he was.

The group slowly moved forward. Stepping over the fallen Brutes and soldiers. The hallway was quiet; way too quiet. The only noises being the sounds of feet stepping in pools of blood. They were close to the arch of the staircase when they froze. The sound of something large bouncing off stone came from the staircase. The group and the prisoners backed up a few steps, then stopped when they saw it was just a barrel. The barrel bounced against the wall at the end of the stairs and rolled into the hallway.

"A barrel?" Alex asked confused. Al frowned and stepped forward, he stopped when he saw a faint light coming from one end of the barrel. Al squinted before his eyes widened in alarm.

"There's a fuse!"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Bradley let out a cold chuckle when he heard the explosion. 'Hoisted on your own petard.'

He looked at the large group of soldiers behind him; awaiting his orders.

"Kill them all." Bradley said, pointing his sword toward the arch.

The Brutes let out war cries as they charged towards down the stairway. Bradley watched them all run passed, armor and weapons gleaming in the torchlight. He waited several moments until a suitable number of fodder had already entered. Just as Bradley was about to descend himself, he heard his name being shouted.

"Lord Bradley! Lord Bradley!"

Bradley let out a sigh as he turned to see a castle guard running towards him.

"Yes?" He asked irritated.

"Your messenger to the Forest has returned." The man answered. "The generals are unable to send reinforcements. There appears to be something happening at the camps."

This got Bradley's attention. "What is happening?" He barked.

"I-I don't know sir." The man stammered, scared by the intimidating man. "I-it was like s-some kind of uprising."

Bradley let out another sigh. He glanced down the stairs then at the hallway that would lead him to the castle's gate. Bradley gritted his teeth as he weighed whether he should finish off the intruders or see to this new crisis.

"Make sure that all the intruders are killed. No quarter."

With that Bradley walked past the man and down the hallway.

'If I need to, I can always retake the castle with the army." Bradley thought as he sheathed his sword.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al coughed as the dust began to clear. He was on the ground, again.

Looking around, it seemed like everyone else was on the ground. Alex seemed fine, but the others were all roughed up. Izumi was bleeding from several fresh cuts and gashes, including a large one on her forehead. A beat up looking Darius and Heinkel were helping an injured Jerso to his feet. Al winced when he saw that Jerso had a long shard of shrapnel sticking out of his torso. Zampano was laying there motionless. He seemed to be breathing, so at least he was still alive. The prisoners were a mixed bag of conditions. Some were badly hurt while others were fine.

The sounds of incoming men charging down the stairs filled the hallway.

"Shit!" Al said as he stood up. There was no way they were going to push this attack back.

Just when the Brutes entered the hallway a wall came up, completely sealing them off. Al turned around to see a bleeding Izumi on her hands and knees.

"We have to get out of this damn hallway." She said, her voice pained.

"I agree." Al grunted, then looked around. "Anyone who can stand, help those who can't."

Going to Izumi's side, Al crouched down to help her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he helped steady her.

"I'll live." She said through tired breaths.

"Can you make a path for us to get to another floor?" Al asked.

"Yes." Izumi said with a nod. "I can manage that."

Pushing away from Al, Izumi walked over to the wall. Al could hear the sounds of the Brutes beating against the wall with axes and clubs. It was only a matter of time before they broke through.

With a clap of her hands Izumi opened up a hole in the wall that went about a hundred yards to the right.

"I'd like to come up away from those bastards." Izumi said as she walked into the created path.

Al stood at the entrance, helping people as they climbed into the hole. Darius and Henkle were carrying Zampano as Jerso limped behind them. He'd pulled out the rock and created a tourniquet with one of the shirts of the dead Brutes.

"You know?" Jerso said as he passed Al. "You remind me a lot of your brother during a fight."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Al nodded and then went in after Jerso.

Izumi immediately closed the wall behind them and had already created a staircase leading to the floor above them. Once they were all in the much more lit hallway, Al again took charge.

"We need to find a place that we can hold, like a room or staircase. Right now they don't know where we are, so we have some time. But not a whole lot." Turning to the former prisoners. "We have friends on the outside who should be arriving shortly, but we'll have to hold out until then."

Everyone nodded and started moving. Al took this time to head over to Izumi. "How long have you known Mustang and Hughes?"

'For several years, why?" Izumi asked.

"I want to know if we can count on them to come save our asses?" Al spoke seriously. "Cause if not then we're fucked."

Izumi frowned at him, but her face softened when she saw the urgency in Al's eyes. "Roy and Maes are not cowards. They'll come. If they're still alive that is."

"Good enough." Al sighed before addressing the crowd again. "Okay let's move people! Alex can you get the front? I'll get the back." Al said as he moved to the back of the group.

Alex nodded and moved to the front of the large group.

As Al brought up the rear he kept an eye out for any threats or members of the Brute Squad.

Suddenly he froze.

He'd seen him for only a second, passing along at the end of a long hallway they were passing. He'd been in Al's line of sight for only a few moments, but that was all the time Al needed to recognize the man. That eyepatch was a dead give away.

"Bradley." Al growled as he took off after the man who had haunted him for years.

At the front of the crowd Alex glanced back to see how the group looked. He stopped when he realized someone was missing.

"Al?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 _5 minutes ago_

"Do you know where she is now?" Ed asked as he and May sprinted down the seemingly endless maze of hallways.

"She's not moving at the moment." May said, her face crunched up in concentration. "It's somewhere up high...the King's chambers!"

"And Selim?" Ed growled. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." May said. "But Winry's alone at the moment."

"Good." Ed said. Then stumbled when he heard a loud booming noise that shook the floor.

 **Boom!**

"What the hell was that, was that another explosion?"" Ed asked as the entire castle shook again. "How many bombs did we give those assholes?"

"I don't know." May said confused, coming to a stop next to him. Ed looked behind them towards the source of the boom.

"I think it came from the dungeons." Ed said, worried. "And I don't thin our group caused it."

May was about to respond when she saw a door open over Ed's shoulder. A tired looking soldier entered carrying a crossbow. When he saw them the guard started fumbling with the weapon trying to aim it at the of them.

Moving as fast as lighting, May whipped out one of her knives and hurled it over Ed's shoulder.

"Hey!" Ed cried.

The kunai knife cut through the air and hit the man directly in the hand. He dropped his weapon with a cry; stumbling back against the wall. May then sprinted around Ed.

Ed turned around in surprise and saw May moving gracefully across the floor. After a few steps, May kicked off the ground and did a flip in the air. As her body began to fall she brought her foot down kicking the man across the face. The blow knocked the soldier out and May landed perfectly on her feet.

"Wow." Ed said, stunned and impressed. "Al really knows how to pick them." He muttered the last part.

"Did you say something?" May looked back at him after picking up her kunai.

"Nothing." Ed said, growing serious. "I think our friends in trouble."

"Are you sure?" May asked; concern etching its way into her face.

"Gut feeling." Ed muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. It seemed like situation this was just getting worse and worse.

"I can make it to the King's tower by myself." Ed said. "Go help the others."

"But-" May tried to protest.

"Right now they probably need you more than I do." Ed said.

"Are you sure?" May asked, her eyes wide and worried. 'What about Winry?"

Ed's eyes hardened. "Nothing on the fucking earth is going to stop me from getting to Winry." He said determinedly. "Nothing!"

May nodded and gave Ed a quick hug. "Be safe, please bring her back."

"I will." Ed stepped back. "Keep an eye on Al for me."

"Don't worry." May said with a small smile. "See you soon."

"You too." Ed said. May nodded and started to turn.

"May?" Ed said suddenly.

"Yes?" May turned around to look at him.

"If things start looking really bad, get out." Ed said. "Take everyone and get them out of here."

"But what about you two?" May asked.

"I'll deal with it." Ed sighed, "Don't worry about me."

"Ok." May said sadly. "Do you remember how to get to the chambers?"

"Yeah." Ed answered.

"Remember it's in the tallest tower." She informed him.

"I got it." Ed nodded.

"Good." May said, "Good luck." May said before turning.

Ed continued down the hallway and May headed in the other direction.

'Keep moving forward.' Ed said in his head. 'Keep moving.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

'Let it not be said that I didn't suffer for my glory.' Selim whined in his head as he stormed through the castle's hallways.

"Of all the nights for there to be a breakout in the dungeons it's tonight. Of all of the damn nights!" Selim growled.

Walking behind him were 10 royal blue soldiers. They were supposed to be escorting him and his new bride to the 'bedding' ceremony. Instead they were trailing the prince as he sulked his way to his waiting bride.

'They can wait at the bottom of the stairs while I deal with her.' Selim thought in his head. It was absolutely crushing him that he couldn't fuck her. It wasn't fair! He deserved to have her!

'That stupid bitch doesn't know how lucky she is.' Selim seethed. The events of the night were concerning him. And while it annoyed him greatly, he was going to follow Bradley's advice and play it safe. Selim thought back to Bradley's warning of Winry's craftiness. In the past she had fought against him, never once has she just played along. 'There's no possible way she can escape the room, and she won't do nothing either. That irritating bint will fight me. Perhaps even now she's waiting for me enter, ready to bash me with a table leg or something.' Selim's frown only deepened at these thoughts.

As he went around a corner a servant caught his eye. The servant had black hair and was around his height. As he watched the man pass an idea formed in his head.

"Hey you! Stop."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al ran as fast as he could, turning corner after corner. His fists clenched as he continued to follow the one eyed man.

"He's not getting away." He muttered to himself. "Not this time."

Al stopped when he entered a room which led to the stables. In the center of the room, heading towards the door was the very man he was looking for.

Al found himself frozen as he stared at the retreating figure of his father's murderer. It was him, it had to be him. A strange feeling passed through Al; it was surreal to finally be in the same room as him. After all these years, it was just him and his enemy.

Al snapped out of his stupor.

"Bradley!" He shouted.

Bradley came to a stop, Al could hear a sigh of annoyance come from the man as he turned around.

Being face to face with his father's murderer was even more surreal. Time seemed to slow down as Bradley's face came into view.

When they had first met years ago, Bradley had possessed both of his eyes. Now he was missing one, but Al didn't need the other to confirm his identity. The same coldness was there; the same subtle cruelty that shook the very foundations of every person who fell into its gaze.

For a moment, Al felt his determination waver under Bradley's glare. He was scared of this man. The nightmares that had haunted him growing up; the dark memories. They were nothing compared to seeing this man in the flesh.

It was quiet, quiet as the two men stared at each other from across the room. Bradley's eye looked Al up and down, taking in his sun colored hair to his golden eyes. After a moment he broke the silence.

"You!" Bradley looked genuinely surprised to see him. The shocked expression left quickly and was replaced with curiosity. "I must say now that you're older, you look remarkably similar to your father...and your brother."

Al growled. His fear rapidly disappeared and was replaced by rage, the rage of 10 agonizing years.

"You haven't changed much." Al spat. "You're a lot older though and of course short an eye."

Bradley gave a emotionless smirk with just a hint of amusement. "Why are you here?"

Al's golden eyes burned as he stared at Bradley.

"I'm here to kill you." He breathed out.

Bradley smirked again. "Are you? Interesting, I certainly hope your skills have improved since our last confrontation."

"Oh, I've had 10 years to get ready for killing you." Al responded, giving his own smirk.

"Only 10 years?" Bradley raised an eyebrow. "And yet you act so confident."

"I could say the same for you, old man." Al fired back.

Bradley gave a sigh. "I will admit that age has been a hinderance. It's frustrating when your body doesn't move as fast as it use to. Still, I have a whole lifetime of fighting while you have, what was it? Ten years?" Bradley's smirk returned. "Tell me, is your brother still alive?"

"Why would I tell you that?" Al snapped. He wasn't really sure why he was wasting time talking to this man. Al's instincts were screaming at him to just attack Bradley. But another part of him was telling him to slow down a little. He didn't just want to kill this man, he wanted to understand him. Know what kind of man could have done what he has done.

"Well, I think your brother is alive." Bradley said. "He's here, isn't he?"

Al didn't respond.

"He's come for the Princess. How pathetically romantic." Bradley chuckled. "Remarkable that he is even still alive. He was such a stubborn one in the pit. I don't think I've ever seen a man take so much pain without breaking. I say it's high time to finish that little bastard off."

Bradley started to walk calmly towards Al causing him to draw his sword.

Bradley stopped as Al aimed his rapier at him. "I see your grip has improved, boy. So has your footwork. Maybe you did learn something in those ten years."

"Why?" Al growled as he advanced towards his opponent. "Why did you kill my father? I want to know!"

Bradley gave another cruel smirk. "If I'm being perfectly honest...I don't remember why."

Al snapped.

Charging forward, Al brought his blade up and slashed it down hard at Bradley's head.

With a sudden clang, Al's blade was blocked by Bradley's. Al pushed down with as much force as he muster, but the taller man's sword didn't budge. He was as still as a statue.

Bradley pushed Al away and calmly walked after him. Al regained his balance and charged again. Al thrust his sword directly at Bradley's heart, but it was parried by a quick twirl of Bradley's sword.

It was now Al's turn to go on the defense as Bradley began to advance with a series of swift strikes. Every move he made seemed calculated. There wasn't a muscle out of place as his blade slashed through the air. Al blocked his attacks, but struggled to keep up. Despite his age, Bradley was faster than anyone Al had ever seen. Al stepped back as he deflected a quick swipe from Bradley. When the back of his heel hit the wall, Al knew he had to switch things up. As another slice came in his direction, Al dove under it. He rolled for a few feet and came up, sword ready.

Bradley was standing where Al had left him.

"Do I see a quiver of doubt in your eyes?" Bradley raised an eyebrow as he advanced towards Al. "What are you afraid of? Failing?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The sounds of distant fighting began to die down as Ed flew down the castle hallways. His breathing came out in harsh pants as his footsteps reverberated off the walls. He threw open doors, rushed past corners, and struck down any Brutes in his way. All with one goal in mind; Winry.

'Nothing is going to stop me.' He proclaimed as he rounded a corner to see two heavily armed Brute Squad members. He quickly rushed behind one and bashed him with the butt of his sword. The unconscious man crumpled as his partner turned in surprise. Ed didn't hesitate as he drove his sword into the man's gut before twisting it out. As far as he was concerned these thugs were merely obstacles trying to prevent him from reaching Winry.

'Up the stairs, take a right, then a left…another left.' Ed said in his head as moved through the endless maze of stone halls. Despite the rushing adrenaline and anxiety; Ed could feel excitement slowly building. Excitement at seeing Winry again, of taking her in his arms. Making all the pain and fear from the last few weeks disappear. He couldn't wait to see her beautiful face; he couldn't wait to talk to her about the baby. The excitement lasted for a few more minutes before fear began to creep back into his system.

As Ed ran he saw a brief flash of the hallway from his nightmare from two nights prior.

Ed shook his head, trying to push those memories away. But it didn't work. Flashes of Winry on that bed, bloody and broken, were displayed in front of him. He could see the tears in her eyes and the silent pleas as she begged him to save her.

Ed growled and picked up the pace, pushing his body to his limits.

He came to a stop when he zipped around a corner.

'Fuck!'

If he had followed May's directions correctly then just down this hallway should be the bottom of the King's tower. The only problem was that it was right now guarded by at least 10 armed men.

"Shit." Ed muttered. "Come on world, throw me a fricken bone or something."

Suddenly, Ed felt a sharp pain in his chest. With a gasp, Ed clutched his chest as nausea began to roll over him. He faltered in his step and had to lean against the wall. His supposedly healed wound was hurting again. In the back of his mind Ed could vaguely remember Doctor Marcoh warning not to strain himself too much.

"Come on!" Ed muttered. "Not now, not fucking now!"

Soon the nausea passed and his head began to clear. It was at this moment that he became aware of heavy footsteps behind him. Ed dove to the side just as a giant blade made contact with the wall he had been leaning against. When he stood up, he paled slightly.

Standing in front of him was a giant soldier wielding the biggest sword Ed had ever seen. The giant soldier lifted his weapon easily and swung it again. Ed ducked and swung his own sword. The man blocked it and stabbed forward. Ed sidestepped and moved around the man as he charged. When Ed stopped he looked over at the stairs. The 10 man had heard the fight and were right now advancing towards him.

"Shit."

Ed looked back at the giant soldier. He was very tall with tan skin, red eyes, and….a scar on his forehead.

'Wait a scar?' Ed thought before he had to jump back from another strike.

"Wait!" He shouted, throwing his hands up.

The large man's brow creased in confusion. Seeing that he had the man's attention, Ed decided to take this advantage.

"You're Scar, right?" Ed said. "Or at least that's...uh...what Winry called you."

The man's eyes widened at the mention of Winry's name. His stopped advancing towards Ed yet kept his blade up.

"You were her bodyguard." Ed continued quickly. "She told me about you. She said you were kind to her; that it was your duty to protect her."

Scar still gave him a suspicious look, but he lowered his sword slightly. Down the hallway, the soldiers were still coming towards them.

"How do you know the Princess?" Scar asked cautiously.

"It's a long story." Ed said. "Short version is we knew each other before she became Princess and now I'm trying to save her life."

Scar's face hardened. "Save her life?"

"Yes." Ed said, happy that this was working. "Selim's going to murder her tonight and start a war."

Scar's eyes glared at him. "How can I believe you?"

"He poisoned you." Ed said. "He poisoned you the day that Winry was kidnapped. Selim was behind that too. He hired those men to kill her, but I stopped them. He's going to try and kill her again tonight."

Ed could see that his words were hitting home for Scar so he decided to keep going.

"He's beaten her, tormented her, made her life a living hell. You know what kind of person he is. I just want to take her away from this place." Ed swallowed before continuing. He was sure his voice was cracking, but who cares. "She is pregnant with my child. Please Scar! I love her; she's my everything!"

Scar's face was unreadable as he stood there, mulling over Ed's words. Ed leaned back against the wall, praying that his plea would work. Suddenly he heard a laugh from a few feet away. Ed whirled around and paled when he saw that the ten soldiers had finally reached them.

"Well what do we have here?" The leader of the men sneered as he looked at Ed. "Good job Scar, catching this assassin. Now finish him."

Ed turned to Scar who still had an unreadable face. "Well? What are you going to do?" Ed shouted at Scar in desperation. Scar glanced down at Ed, but didn't respond.

Next to them, the lead soldier was getting impatient. "Fine I'll do it myself." He sighed as he unsheathed his sword. Ed raised his own sword as the men advanced on him. Suddenly a large hand grabbed the head soldier and slammed him into the stone wall.

"What are-" Another soldier began to say before he was viciously cut in two. The eight remaining men jumped back in shock as Scar wielded his sword at them.

"I believe you." The giant said to Ed. "Go, I will handle these soldiers."

Ed nodded in acknowledgement and took off towards the winding stairs. One man tried to stop him, but Ed just punched him with his metal fist.

As Ed made his way towards the stairs he heard Scar's voice shout behind him.

"Hurry, the Prince has already ascended the tower."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

'What the hell is going on out there?'

Winry was pressing her ear to the door. A little while ago she heard another loud boom that shook the castle, and if Winry really concentrated she could hear the distant sounds of what seemed like fighting.

'Is there a riot or something happening?' She asked herself.

But something inside Winry was telling her that it was more than that. That something big was happening.

Edward.

Winry felt small twinges of hope, but she kept them at bay. She didn't want to get it in her head that Ed was here to save her only to find out that it wasn't true. Instead she focused back on the task at hand. Winry had been waiting for Selim for a while now, and knew that he should be arriving any minute.

'If I can kill Selim then I'll head down the tower...and maybe, just maybe find Edward.' Winry thought in her head.

Suddenly, her attention was grabbed by the sound of clicking from the other side of the door.

It was being unlocked.

Winry's breath caught in her throat. The knife was held tightly in her hand.

'I have to do this.' She thought in her head. "I have to do this.'

With a final click the door was opened.

Winry steeled her nerves as she raised the knife.

The door slowly opened. Every second that passed seemed like a minute. Winry was still holding her breath when she finally saw a long flowing cape and dark black hair.

Breathing out, Winry stabbed the knife down.

It plunged directly into the side of Selim's neck. His body contorted in pain and a cry escaped his lips. Winry wrenched the knife out of Selim and drove it back into his throat. A squirt of blood came out and landed on her robe.

"Die you bastard!" Winry shouted as she twisted the knife out of his throat, a torrent of blood followed it.

Selim fell to his knees, his hands clutching his bleeding throat. From the ground he looked up at her with wide eyes.

Winry froze in her movements and her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her.

It wasn't Selim.

She recognized him as the black haired servant who had served her breakfast this morning.

"Oh my-"

Before Winry do anything to help him she heard a snapping sound. She let out a surprised shriek as an arrow bolt embedded itself in the center of the servant's forehead. She stared in shocked horror as the dead man's body fell back on the ground. His lifeless hands still clutching his throat.

"What..?" Winry murmured as she heard the sound of something being winded up behind her.

Whirling around, her face paled even more at the sight of Selim.

He was standing at the other side of the room. Behind him was the opening of what appeared to be some kind of secret door. In his arms was a crossbow which he was quickly winding up. Before she could move Selim put another bolt in the weapon and aimed it at her.

"Hello darling." He grinned maliciously. "It's so good to see you too."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al raised his sword above his head to block one strike then quickly swung it down to his waist to block another. He was once again moving back as Bradley pushed him across the room. Al was willing to be on the defense. It gave him time to look for an opening. Unfortunately, Bradley wasn't giving him any as he attacked Al with a series of quick, deadly slashes. Al's muscles tensed and sweat was pouring down his back as he struggled to keep his defenses up. It was taking everything he had not to die. He'd already received a few slashes to his arms and legs.

'More scars to add to the ones on my face.' Al growled in his head. 'Shit, this guy has got be like sixty and he's faster than me!'

Bradley swung down at him and Al sidestepped it, thrusting his own sword out. Bradley stepped back to avoid the slash, but ended up getting stabbed in the shoulder.

Bradley gave a small hiss and glared at his small injury. Blood seeped out of the wound, staining his blue uniform.

Al swung his sword again. Bradley easily blocked it, but Al pushed forward so that their faces were only inches away from each other. Al took this opportunity to headbutt Bradley in the face.

Bradley grunted and stumbled back a little, breaking away from Al. Al followed this up by swinging his rapier down with both hands at Bradley. This was blocked, but the force of it caused Bradley to stumble back even more.

With this new momentum Al began to attack Bradley with everything he had. Bradley was blocking his every move, but Al knew he'd land one eventually. The older man's breathing was a bit ragged now, Al was finally starting to wear down his defenses. He just had to keep pushing.

With one more strong swing Al knocked Bradley's sword out of his hand.

The sword fell and clattered on the ground, leaving its owner defenseless. However, before Al could react Bradley moved forward, seizing him by his coat and lifting him off the ground. With remarkable strength and speed, Bradley flung Al across the room. With a painful crash, Al collided with a suit of armor that was against the wall for decoration.

The various armor pieces flew in several directions, including the suit's sword, which landed a few feet away. Al stood up, his vision disoriented, and he saw a flash of blue coming in his direction. He raised his sword in defense, but it was too late.

Pain exploded in Al's shoulder, causing him to cry out. Al was pushed back and collided hard with the wall. When he opened his eyes, Al saw Bradley standing right in front of him. The pain in his shoulder was agonizing and Al gasped when he turned to look. About half of Bradley's sword had pierced Al's shoulder. The other half was now embedded in the wall.

He was stuck.

The pain was so bad that tears were forming in Al's eyes. With a grunt of agony he brought his left hand up to grab the hilt of the blade. His sword arm belonged to the stabbed shoulder and was now hanging uselessly at his side. His own weapon had fallen far from his reach. He tried to pull the blade out, but it wouldn't budge. The twisting that his movements caused only created new waves of pain causing Al to cry out as a layer of sweat covered his body.

Bradley watched the young man suffer with silent enjoyment. Glancing to the side, he moved to pick up the armor's fallen sword.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed was jumping up three steps at a time.

'How fucking tall is this thing?' Ed thought. 'Why would a king want to walk up and down this everyday? Does he have someone carry him?'

Behind him he could hear the sounds of Scar fighting the soldiers, but he didn't look back.

 _Hurry, the Prince has already ascended the tower_. Scar's warning echoed in his head.

Ed was panting as he ran up. Sweat was covering him. He had to get there; he had to stop Selim. He couldn't let anything happen to Winry!

Ed stumbled a little as he began to feel lightheaded, but he kept on pushing. The ache in his stomach was slowly becoming worse with every step.

Ed let out a grunt when he suddenly tripped on the stairs. His hands shot out to catch himself and he ended up face down on the cold steps. As he lay there Ed could hear Selim's voice in his head. The depraved words he'd spoken by the river.

 _As I pin her down on my bed; as I make love to her for hours. She's not going to enjoy it, I can predict that._

"Get up." He whispered hoarsely. "Get up. She needs me!"

 _And after I have satisfied myself with her body…_

Ed gritted his teeth as he tried to push himself up.

… _I'm going to kill her_

Ed looked down when he felt a wetness against his gut. He couldn't see anything because of this black coat. Ed pulled his jacket back and felt at his side. His fingers felt a wet stain forming on his shirt. The damn wound had reopened.

"No." Ed gasped. "Not now."

His head was ringing as he looked back up the stairs, his metal hand reached out to drag himself up.

"Get up." He said. A overwhelming feeling of dread was descending on Ed as realization struck him. He couldn't keep going; his body was too tired. 'NO! Get up you lazy bastard. Winry…the baby. I have to save them; they need me. I can't...I can't….'

 _I will carry her lifeless, blood soaked body down to the royal court and demand justice_

Selim's voice still rang in Ed's head as he blacked out.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Al held his breath as he tried in vain to pull the sword out. His face was bright red from the pain and exertion. After one final tug caused the blade to cut him even more; he gave up.

"Tell me." He heard Bradley's voice. "Did you come all this way just to fail now?"

Al looked up at Bradley who was standing a few feet away from him, sword in hand. He'd just been standing there watching Al suffer for the last few minutes.

"After so many years of searching, you finally find me. Yet when your moment of vengeance finally comes, you fail miserably. I do think that's the most pitiful thing I've ever heard. How marvelous." Bradley reached forward and picked up Al's sword in his other hand.

"So now this blade returns to its rightful owner." Bradley mused as he studied Van Hohenheim's sword before he raised the two blade up.

Suddenly, something large burst through the door behind them. Bradley moved to turn around, but was suddenly flung across the room and smashed against the wall with a loud thud.

Al looked from Bradley's crumpled body to the big person who had thrown him.

"Alex!"

Alex's eyes widened when he saw the sword in Al's shoulder. The gentle giant ran over to his injured friend.

"Al you're hurt."

"It's ok." Al said, relieved to see his friend. "Get me out of this."

"It's going to bleed a lot." Alex warned as he reached for the sword's handle.

"Let's worry about that later." Al said.

Alex gripped the handle of blade. Just as he hand was about to pull it out, Al looked over his friend's shoulder.

"Alex look out!"

Alex moved to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe from Bradley. What the hell? How tough was this old man?

"Alex run!" Al called out.

"And leave you, never!" Alex raised his metal gauntlets like a boxer as he turned to face Bradley. The two of them paced the room like a pair of bulls before Bradley charged.

Bradley attacked viciously, swinging both blades in a flurry of attacks. Alex stepped back as he did he best to block them. The sound of metal colliding with metal filled the room as the two moved quickly around it.

Alex used his metal gloves to push Bradley's swords away. After he did this, he started swinging for Bradley's head. Bradley dodged these attacks and used his swords to swat Alex's fists off their path, causing them to miss.

Alex charged at Bradley, trying to knock the one eyed man off his feet. Bradley easily sidestepped him and with a swipe of his sword, cut a slash on the back of Alex's leg. The tall warrior gave a cry as the blade tore through his flesh.

"Alex!" Al shouted; frantically pulling at the blade in his shoulder.

Alex stumbled a little, but held his balance and turned around, fists raised.

"You're the deserter right?" Bradley asked, a cold smirk on his lips.

"Alex run!" Al cried again as he desperately tried to free himself from the wall. "Please!"

Alex charged again at Bradley, bringing his fists down. Bradley deflected these attacks with his swords and slashed out. Cutting Alex on his shoulders.

"No!" Al was frantically trying to pull the blade out, not caring about the pain. "Alex please don't die for me!"

"Usually we hang deserters." Bradley continued as he started swinging wildly again at Alex. Alex blocked most of them, but a lucky one got under his arm and plunged into his side. Blood frothed in Alex's mouth as Bradley twisted the sword in his side. He swung his fists but Bradley simply stepped back, avoiding the hit and then lunged forward.

The two blades pierced through Alex's chest. Impaling him.

"NOOOO!" Al cried as he finally pulled the fucking sword out of his shoulder. He fell to the ground and stared at the bloody scene in front of him with horror filled eyes.

Alex fell to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth. The giant coughed as he held himself up on trembling arms.

"As I said, we prefer to hang deserters. But it seems that this will simply have to do." Bradley raised a sword.

Time seemed to slow down as Alex turned his head to look at Al who was crawling over to them. Al was moving on his hands and knees, clutching Bradley's sword in one hand. His watery eyes met Alex's for one final moment.

Alex gave his best friend one last smile.

Bradley's blade cut through the flesh of Alex's throat like it was butter. Al stared in horror, tears streaming down his face as Alex's dead body fell to the ground.

"ALEX!" Al crawled forward as fast as he could. He reached his friend's side and pulled himself up to look at Alex's face. Alex's eyes stared lifelessly up at him. Blood continued to pour out of the gaping wound in his throat.

"No!" Al sobbed as his head fell on Alex's chest. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry Alex."

"Well this is certainly a familiar sight." He heard Bradley chuckle. "You sounded and looked exactly the same as you cradled your father's corpse."

Al looked behind him to see Bradley standing over him.

"You look so sad; like a child." Bradley taunted. "Do you want me to put you out of your misery?"

Before Bradley could raise his swords, two pointed projectiles suddenly struck him in the shoulders. Bradley grunted in both surprise and pain, stumbling back. Looking down he saw two kunai knives embedded in his flesh.

Glancing up, Bradley saw May Chang standing at the door. In her hands were other knives. May flung more knives at him.

Bradley swung his swords to deflect them, but grunted again in pain when one landed in his thigh. Not wanting to give the small Xingese girl another chance, Bradley leaped forward at her. May jumped away from his swords, landing on her hands and then propelling herself into her feet. She took two knives out, holding them in front of her. Bradley let out an angry growl and lunged after her. Despite the many wounds he had received, Bradley still moved with incredible speed. May danced away from him, avoiding his attacks and making quick jabs at him with her daggers. She was able to land a good stab in the side. Bradley let out a small hiss, he was taking too many injuries.

Things were looking good until Bradley stabbed at May's dress, stabbing through it and into the ground. Unfortunately for her, Xingese dresses were expertly crafted and thus her's did not tear. With her momentum cut off, May fell hard onto her back.

Bradley raised his remaining sword into a position to cut May's head off. With a triumphant smirk he brought it down swiftly.

Suddenly the sword was stopped. May let out a cry but looked up with wide eyes when she didn't die. Bradley's blade had been blocked by another sword; preventing it from striking May.

Bradley's eye widened in surprise and he looked over at a seething Al.

"Not her." Al growled. "You won't take her too you fucking bastard!" He'd failed to save Alex from this monster, he would not lose May too.

Al swung the swords up, away from May. Bradley stumbled back and steadied himself in an effort to continue the fight. But his wounds had taken their tole and his speed was no match for Al's. The young swordsman moved quickly and swung his sword down onto Bradley's sword hand.

 _Slash_

Bradley gave a cry of pain as his sword and hand dropped to the ground. Stepping back, he held the bleeding stump that was once his sword hand.

Al glared at the man who had killed his father, this was it. "My name…" Al swung out, cutting Bradley across the face. "...is Alphonse Hohenheim…" He slashed Bradley across the other side of his face. The older man stumbled back, but stood his ground. "...you killed my father…" He stabbed at him, piercing Bradley in his remaining hand. "...and my friend…" Al did a sweeping attack, slashing Bradley across the chest. "...You tortured my brother…" Bradley spat out a mouthful of blood as he fell to the floor. He kneeled there on the ground, bleeding from his face, stump, hand, shoulders, leg, and chest. "...prepare to die." Al finished darkly.

Pulling his sword back Al looked into the eye of the one man who had caused him more pain than anyone else.

Bradley simply glared up at him.

Al's blade moved forward. The tip of it never faltering even as it pierced the flesh of Bradley's throat. The one eyed man gave a final, strangled cry as the life drained from his black eye.

Al pulled his blood stained sword out and watched the dead body of King Bradley fall to the ground.

Al stood there looking at the corpse. He did so for several moments before he began to slump forward. Before Al hit the ground he felt himself being caught by someone. Small hands gripped him tightly and he was pulled against a tiny, female body.

"Alphonse!" He heard May's voice in his ear. He could hear her, but not see her. Al looked over at the body of his fallen friend.

"Alex." He whispered before his vision went black.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

As his vision cleared he saw steps.

Ed blinked, he was lying on his chest. The ringing in his head had stopped and when he touched his chest it looked like the bleeding had stopped as well.

"Winry." He mumbled as he put both his hands under him. Slowly and painfully, he pushed himself off the stone steps.

 _I love you Ed_

When Ed looked up, he could see her. She was standing at the top of the stairs beckoning him to get up.

" _I believe in you."_ She smiled. That perfect smile that could make him move a mountain.

'I just have to get up these stairs.' Ed pulled himself up. 'I can do this.'

"I'm coming Winry."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Selim grinned as he sat down on chair. Across from him Winry sat motionless in her own chair. The knife that she had used to stab the servant was on the table next to her. Selim had ordered her to keep her hands on her lap.

Winry was absolutely still as she stared at Selim, his crossbow was aimed directly at her. "Well are you going to tell me to take my clothes off?" Winry spat and glared at him.

Selim sighed, "Unfortunately, no."

Winry's brow creased in confusion; but the tension in her body on increased. Selim had made his depraved lust for her brutally clear. She wasn't complaining about this new development, but if he wasn't going to rape her then what was he doing here?

"I can see you're confused." Selim said in a nonchalant voice. "I know, I am rather put off by it myself. But King raised a good point and I decided to play it safe tonight."

Winry stared at him suspiciously. "Play what safe tonight?"

Selim smirked. "Oh how I've waited for you to know. It's been fun watching you go about day to day. Not knowing your true purpose for being here."

"What are you talking about?" Winry snapped.

"Oh Winry." Selim chuckled. "Did you honestly think I would have stayed married to a commoner whore like yourself. Me, a Prince?"

Winry's hands clenched into tight fists, angered by his damn vagueness. It seemed like that bastard even took enjoyment out of simply confusing her.

"Just spit it out Selim!" She shouted.

"Winry, my darling...I'm going to kill you tonight." Selim smirked.

Winry went silent as she stared at Selim with wide eyes.

"What?" She whispered.

Selim burst out laughing. He bent over as his face turned red from laughing, but kept the crossbow aimed at her.

"Your face." Selim laughed. "I've waited a long time to see that fucking look on your face."

As Winry let this revelation wash over her, she realized that it wasn't that shocking. In fact, it seemed like a final piece that made the rest of the puzzle fit together.

"It was you." She whispered. "You hired Yoki to kill me!"

"Yes, I did." Selim grinned maliciously. "But I like this ending to the story far better then that one."

"What ending?" Winry asked, nervousness creeping into her voice.

"The one where you are killed by a Cretan assassin who was disguised as me." Selim pointed to the dead body of the servant. "That will be the ending of your story. Mine begins tomorrow when I declare war on Creta."

Winry's jaw dropped as she stared at Selim in horror. She knew first hand of Selim's cruelty, but nothing could have compared her for this. Suddenly a terrible thought popped into her head. There was no way that happened by chance. "Your father…it's quite a coincidence that he died last night." She spoke in shaky voice.

Selim's eyes twinkled with enjoyment. "Yes it certainly is, almost as if I planned it."

Winry's eyes widened as a choked gasp escaped her lips. He had murdered his own father! A sweet old man who couldn't hurt a fly. "Why?" She said, surprisingly calm. "Why are you doing this?"

"It would take too long to explain." Selim said. "When you go to hell you can ask Edward. He asked me that very same question."

Winry's breath stopped completely as all color left her face. 'Oh god no.'

"What did you just say?" She said. Dread stabbing into her like a hundred knives.

"Edward Elric." Selim said. "Your lover from that little shit hole Resembool. Believe me when I tell you that he won't be here to rescue you tonight."

Winry felt like something was dying inside her. She'd felt this before, on the day when she got that damn letter.

"Y-you..killed him?" She whimpered.

Selim's smile grew even more. "I watched the life leave his eyes. He suffered greatly before I killed him. King tortured him for days. I don't even think you would have recognized him, he looked absolutely terrible. The coward died while trying to run and save himself."

Winry shook her head in denial. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "No...no you're lying." Ed would never leave her.

Selim chuckled. "Am I Winry? Am I? Perhaps Ed figured that you simply weren't worth the effort. So much for true love."

"Edward." Winry whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek. Her hands drifted to her stomach.

Selim just saw the tears, his sadistic grin grew even bigger. "It's ok Winry. You can cry all you want. I certainly won't judge your misery."

Winry glared at him. "Y-you fucking bastard."

Selim stood up, pointing the crossbow directly at her. "While we're on the subject of dead love ones, I might as well mention your grandmother."

Winry stared up at him with watery eyes, her hands were shaking in her lap.

"Your grandmother passed away a few days ago. It appears she had been ill for several weeks. If only you had been there to take care of her. Perhaps she might have lived. Oh imagine how she must have felt, laying there all alone. Sad, sick, dying; wasting away. Do you think she called out for you Winry? Do you think she prayed to god that you would just walk through the front door? But you never showed up Winry, she must have thought that you hated her. Isn't that just simply tragic?"

This was the finally bit that broke Winry's resolve. She slumped back into the chair as she was struck by a sadness so overwhelming, her body refused to move. Winry's seemingly lifeless eyes was staring in front of her, not seeing anything.

The sight of Winry breaking was by far the most satisfying thing Selim had ever seen. He didn't think he'd ever had such a genuine smile on his face. 'Oh this is almost worth not getting to fuck her bloody.' He thought to himself gleefully.

"You're alone Winry." He said. "You're all alone."

Winry shakily glanced up at him; tears running freely down her face. She didn't care that he was going to get away with all this. She just wanted to be released from all this pain, she wanted to die.

And he was the one who was going to kill her.

"Pl-please Selim...just get it over with. Just kill me." Winry sobbed.

Selim almost let out a moan at her words, her misery was so good it was borderline arousing. He smirked at her begging, he'd finally broken her. "Well if you insist Winry, I did love every moment that we shared." Selim paused then aimed the crossbow directly at Winry's throat. He didn't want her to die instantly. It would be so amusing to watch her choke on her own blood.

Winry's breath caught in her throat and she closed her eyes. Her hands gripped the chair tightly as she waited for death to take her. 'This is it! I love you Ed.' Winry sobbed to herself.

Suddenly the door to the room exploded in a flash of light. Both Selim and Winry turned as a figure stepped into the room.

The rest of the door crumbled to the ground, revealing Ed, dressed all in black;his coat flowing behind him. His frantic eyes shot around the room before they landed on Winry. Relief morphed on his features before burning with fury when they shifted to Selim.

Winry shot up in her chair. She couldn't believe it! It was him. He was alive! He had come for her.

"Edward!" She cried.

Selim's mouth dropped at the sight in front of him. "It's not possible." He muttered. "I killed you!" With shaking hands, he quickly aimed the crossbow at Ed. Moving swiftly, Winry grabbed the knife off the table and lunged forward. Selim cried out as she stabbed him through the hand, causing the crossbow to turn and hit the wall, not Ed.

"No!" Selim shouted as he swung his good hand, striking Winry and knocking her to the ground. Before the prince could make another move, he was viciously grabbed and turned to face a furious Ed. Fire was raging inside of Ed as he glared at Selim. Just seeing him in the same room with Winry had provoked a burning rage and watching the bastard actually hit her made him snap.

Ed grabbed handfuls of Selim's shirt and flung him to the other side of the room. Selim crashed into the wall with a thud and he fell to the ground hard. As he tried to get his bearings back, Selim was pulled to his feet before a fist connected with his jaw. The force of the punch propelled Selim back into the wall. Ed's eyes burned with fury as he looked down at the despicable man before him.

"I bet you weren't expecting to see me, prick." Ed growled.

Selim scowled and tugged the knife out of his hand. He lunged forward, but Ed sidestepped the prince and brought a knee up into his stomach. Selim let out a gasping sound as all the wind was knocked out of him. Grabbing Selim's arm, the one that had hit Winry, Ed twisted it with a loud snap. Selim cried out in pain as Ed broke his arm, causing the knife to clatter to the floor. Ed released the prince who fell to his knees with tears in his eyes.

"Y-y-you bastard." Selim whined as he clutched his arm. "Y-you broke my arm! You fucking p-peasant!"

"Shut up. That was for hitting her!" Ed growled as he brought his metal fist back again. "And this is for everything else! How dare you touch her!"

Ed's fist slammed into Selim's face, partly breaking the prince's nose. Ed pulled his fist back again and backhanded Selim, sending several teeth clattering to the floor. Selim groaned as a glob of bright red blood dropped out of his mouth. Not letting up, Ed grabbed Selim by his shoulders and threw him face first into a cabinet. Selim's body smashed into the hard wood, cracking it. Ed followed him and grabbed the prince by his cloak. He whirled Selim around to face him, the Prince's face was smeared with blood and was already starting to swell up.

"How?" Selim gargled through a broken mouth. "How are you alive?"

"I guess I'm just full of surprises." Ed smirked as raised his fist again; he was going to enjoy this. Ed struck him again, and again, and again. He felt Selim's nose shatter completely. Blood flowed out of several open wounds from all over the prince's face. With ever hit Ed poured all of his rage, all of his anger. This was the man who had made Winry's life hell. The man who had held her prisoner and terrorized her for weeks. He'd be damned if he didn't make this piece of shit suffer.

Selim had long stopped struggling, drifting closer to unconsciousness with every strike. Eventually, he went limp under Ed's unrelenting blows. Selim's eyes rolled back as he arms hung uselessly at his sides.

Ed paused in his assault as he glared down at the broken, bloody man beneath him. Both of Selim's eyes were blackened, one of them completely swollen shut. His 'regal' nose was twisted and bent beyond repair. His blood filled mouth hung open, half of the Prince's teeth seemed to be missing. He seemed to be just barely holding on to his miserable life. 'One more." Ed thought. 'One more blow and I can kill this fucker!'

"Ed?"

Ed froze when he heard her voice; that beautiful, beautiful voice. He quickly dropped Selim to the ground and stood up. Glancing down at his hands he saw Selim's blood on them. With a look a disgust he ripped the blood stained gloves off. Turning around, the sight of her took his breath away.

Winry was standing there, her azure eyes staring into his. She was wearing a pretty white dress, with a silver robe. Her long blonde hair hung low on her shoulders, her big blue eyes were sparkling in the light. She looked so damn beautiful. A smile formed on Ed's face and tears were gathering in his eyes. She was there, and she was alive.

"Hey Winry."

Ed threw a chair to the side as he ran over to her. He had to reach her; he had to hold her; feel her presence to know that she was really there. That she was finally safe. Winry met him halfway and soon they were finally in each other's arms. Back where they both belonged.

Ed was barely aware that he wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. Nor did he really notice the he'd lifted her off the ground with the force of his embrace. Winry's arms went around his neck as she buried her face into his muscular chest. Time seemed to slow down for Ed and Winry as they gripped each other tightly; afraid to let go.

"Winry." Ed sighed as he buried his face in her soft hair. Shit, he'd missed her so damn much.

Winry melted into his embrace; words couldn't describe the emotions she was experiencing. Ed was here, Ed was holding her. She felt herself go limp in his arms as she held onto him for dear life. Tears were once again streaming down her face, but these were tears of joy.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. I thought you weren't going to come."

"Shhh." Ed cooed as he cradled her head with his metal hand. "There's nothing for you to apologize for….I'm sorry Winry. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep you safe." His voice cracked as he too began to cry.

Winry moved back and pulled Ed down into a kiss. Ed kissed her back, hard. Winry whimpered which only caused Ed's arms to tighten around her. Winry jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Ed's hands grasped her thighs for support. The two lovers clung to each other desperately, their grips almost to the point of bruising. Both of them poured everything that they had into the kiss. It had been too long.

"You kept me safe." Winry gasped in between kisses. "You've always kept me safe. The thought of you kept me going, it helped me stay strong. I love you." Her hands tangled themselves in his long, beautiful hair.

"I love you so much." Ed kissed her. Pulling back, he glanced down at Winry's stomach. Setting her down on her feet, Ed gently dropped to his knees in front of her. He placed a hand on her stomach and looked up at her. She watched in awe as he planted a kiss on her belly. Winry's breath hitched as Ed tenderly rubbed her belly and spoke.

"Hey there little guy. It's me, daddy." He spoke in a soft voice before giving Winry a heart melting smile. "Sorry that it's taken so long for us to meet, I've been a little busy. Thanks for taking care of mommy for me."

"Y-you know about the baby?" Winry said in a small voice.

"Yeah." Ed smiled as he stood back up. Looking down at her with love in his eyes. "May told me."

"May?" Winry's eyes widened. "Where is she? Is she here?"

Ed nodded, then frowned when he spotted blood stains on her silver robe. Winry followed his gaze and quickly took the robe off.

"It's not mine." She mumbled, pointing over to the body of the servant. "It's his."

Ed let out a sigh of relief that she wasn't injured. "A fake assassin?"

"Yes h-he..." Winry trailed off as her head bowed in shame. "He came in wearing Selim's clothes, I-I stabbed him. I thought he was Selim. He was innocent, but I got him killed."

"Hey, come on now." Ed whispered softly; his arms wrapping around in a warm embrace. "Don't blame yourself. It's no one's fault but Selim's."

Winry nodded, then looked down. "So are you ok with the baby?"

Ed looked at Winry and smiled. "Are you kidding? I'm thrilled about the baby." Ed kissed her on the lips. The two of them became lost in another mind numbing kiss, the passion rolling off them in waves. They both stopped when they heard a pained groan. Winry stilled while Ed's eyes darkened. He gave Winry a final kiss on the forehead then turned around.

Selim was where Ed had left him in a crumpled, bloody heap. He was still conscious, but not moving. Ed calmly walked over to him. Raising his foot, Ed slammed it down on Selim's broken hand causing the prince to cry out. Ed went down on one knee. He grabbed a handful of Selim's hair and hoisted him up. Ed's face was as blank as stone while he waited for Selim's swollen eyes to land on him.

When they finally did; Ed started talking. "I'd love to kill you right now. There is nothing more that I'd like to do then end your sad, pitiful life. But killing you right now might be an act of mercy."

Ed tightened his grip on Selim's hair, causing the injured Prince to wince.

"So here's how this is going to go." Ed's voice was dark and cold. "A military coup that is happening right now is going to establish a new government. I think it's going to be a republic or something like that. After they do that they are going to put you on trial for your crimes. Everything that you have ever done will be told for everyone to here. Every scumbag act or pathetic plan will echo in every corner of this nation. Everyone will know what you really are. Your legacy, your glory, will be one of shame and defeat. You will witness everything you built be destroyed right in front of you. And after all that, after you have been stripped of all the power that you never deserved. You will die."

Ed then looked up as if he was reconsidering something.

"As I said killing you now would be a mercy. And guess what? I feel pretty generous today. Everything you did to me, or had that one eyed prick do to me. The torture, the beatings, the stabbing; don't worry about it. It's just all water under the bridge."

Ed then pulled his fist back as if he was going to deliver a killing blow.

"But then again." Ed said. "There's something I can't forgive you for. Something I will never forgive anyone for. Where you fucked up was all the pain you've caused Winry. Nothing I can do to you will make up for what you have put her through. So you won't die tonight. You won't die tomorrow or even the day after that. You are going to live until you are begging to die. And while all of that happens you won't be able to do a damn thing. All you will do is sit and stare. Meanwhile, I'm going to take Winry far away from here. Do you hear me Selim? I want you to know that while you're rotting in a cell, we're going to be starting our new lives. One day, we'll forget about you. Just like everybody else, we're going to forget you. You lost Selim; I want you to know that."

Ed released Selim's hair. After drawing a quick circle on the ground and restraining him, Ed stood up. Turning around he saw Winry looking at him.

"Sorry you had to see that." He mumbled, partly ashamed at losing control in front of her.

Winry shook her head. "I rather enjoyed watching that actually."

Ed smirked and held out his arm for her. "Wanna go milady?"

Winry nodded and took his hand. Before they could go, she stopped to look down at Selim. He was still on the ground, glaring feebly up at her. This was the Selim that Winry knew prevailed above all the others. The sad, pitiful, pathetic man who had flown too close to the sun and got burned.

"You're the only one who's alone Selim." Winry said. "Enjoy the rest of your life." Suddenly Winry's foot lashed out and kicked Selim in the crotch. The disgraced prince let out a whimper and curled into a fetal position.

Ed couldn't hide his smile as he wrapped his arm around Winry's shoulders and led her out. Neither of them looked back as they exited the room.

The pair was quiet as they descended the stairs. Winry leaned against Ed's shoulder as he tightened his grip around her. They wanted to enjoy the warmth that the other's body provided; it had been a while. Ed planted another kiss on the top of her head.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear.

As they neared the bottom of the tower, Ed brought them to a stop. He placed a hand on Winry's shoulder as he redrew his sword.

"Stay here." He whispered. Winry nodded and watched him cautiously as he moved forward.

Moving down, Ed stepped out into the hallway. All over the ground were the bodies of the soldiers. Most of them were missing limbs or heads and one of them was even cut in half. Off to the side, sitting on a bench, was tired looking but relatively unharmed Scar. He glanced up when he heard Ed came down.

Ed smirked when he saw Scar and gave him a nod. Sheathing his sword, he headed back to the staircase. Winry was still there.

"Everything alright down there?" Winry asked, glancing behind him.

"Perfectly." Ed said as he held out his hand for her to take. When they walked out into the hallway Winry looked around at the bodies in shock before her eyes landed on Scar.

"Scar!" Winry cried out, running over to the large man and throwing her arms around him.

Scar looked surprised by the action, but quickly retained his emotionless expression.

"I'm...I'm glad to see that you're safe, princess." He said slightly awkwardly.

Winry stepped back with a smile, but it left when she looked at all the blood covering his armor. "Are you ok?"

Scar only responded with a nod.

Winry glanced at Ed, who was patiently waiting back at the staircase, then back at Scar. "Well...I'm pretty sure this is goodbye." She said to her former bodyguard.

"It appears so." Scar said, with that he suddenly stood up from his seat, bringing his sword up in a salute. "It was an honor to have served you, your Grace."

"Winry." Winry smiled. "It's just Winry now."

"Ok then...Winry." Scar said, the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

"Good luck." Winry said, giving Scar a little bow before heading back to Ed. As she got closer Ed looked her up and down. Besides the thin white dress she wasn't wearing very much. Taking off his jacket, he draped it over her shoulders. She clasped her hand in his as the two continued in their trek to the main gate. When their hands touched Ed felt something metal wrapped around her finger. Glancing down Ed saw the ring that he had given her in the Fire Swamp. With a smile he lifted Winry's hand and kissed the ring. The softness of her hand was almost maddening. He never wanted to let go of her ever again.

"So that explosion earlier, was that you?" Winry asked.

"Yeah that was us." Ed said.

"Us?" Winry looked up at him.

"I guess I'll just start at the end of the Fire Swamp." Ed said.

As they walked Ed told her the events that had happened to him since their parting. Though he left out most the torture and simply said he was hurt trying to escape.

"So I fell into the river and bumped into some old friends of ours." Ed said.

"Who?" Winry asked.

"Your old shipmates Alphonse and Alex."

"What?" Winry looked at him incredulously.

"Just wait it gets worse." Ed grinned. "Turns out Alphonse and I are brothers."

This news stopped Winry completely in her tracks. She stared at him like he has two heads. Ed laughed at the dumbfounded look on her face.

"Believe me, I know it sounds completely insane. But I'm serious, we were separated at birth. He knew my name was Edward Elric and that our mother's name was Trisha. When we first met up at the cliff he was wearing a disguise for some stupid ass reason and I was wearing that mask so we didn't recognize each other. Turns out, we actually look a lot alike. Before they found me, May had already met up with them and told them about us."

"Did they meet up in Resembool?" Winry asked.

"Yes." Ed said, a frown formed on his face as he started thinking about Pinako. He was just about to tell her when Winry beat him to it. "Selim said that...Granny was dead." She whispered.

Ed pulled her closer and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I'm so sorry Win. But she wasn't alone. May said that she told Pinako the truth. That you didn't abandon her. She died knowing how much you loved her and that you were going to have a baby. They said it was peaceful and that she wasn't in any pain."

Winry let out a sad sigh as she rested her head against Ed's shoulder. She felt the all too familiar sensation of tears threatening to spill over. But she held them back. She wasn't going to cry, not now. Not when her and Ed were so close to being free and safe. 'But we're not safe yet.' Winry thought. 'We won't be until we're far away from this damn castle.' Winry was shaken out of her thoughts by Ed nudging her. She glanced up to see him looking down at her with concern in his eyes.

"Can we leave now." Winry whispered. "I just want to leave."

"Me too, Win." Ed said. "Me too." Ed proceeded to kiss her several times before deciding to go back into telling her the story, hoping to take her mind off of Pinako. "So after I met up with May, Al, and Alex we teamed up with a group of weird revolutionaries wanting to overthrow the government."

"Are those the republic guys you mentioned?" Winry asked.

"I only met three of them. One was nice, one was scary, and another was kind of a dick."

"It's nice to hear that you're making friends." Winry gave a small smile. Ed was glad that he got a smile out of her.

"Come on, we can talk more when we get out of here." Ed said as they continued down the suspiciously empty hallways. Winry suddenly remembered something.

"I never said 'I do'." She said suddenly causing Ed to look at her in confusion.

"When the explosion happened, Selim made the priest skip to the man and wife part. Neither him nor I said 'I do'." Winry said with a small smile.

Ed's brow was furrowed before his eyes widened in understanding. "So that means…" He trailed off with a smile.

"Selim and I were never technically married." Winry finished.

Ed let out a breath, "Well that's certainly a relief. To be honest, I'd forgotten all about that with everything that's happened in the last hour."

"How do you think I feel." Winry chuckled before a look of thoughtfulness came over face.

"Can we talk more about the baby?" She asked.

"Yeah, we can talk about the baby." Ed's hand drifted until it was resting on Winry's stomach. It was flat at the moment, but he knew that wouldn't last for long.

"When are you going to start showing?" Winry could hear a slight nervousness in his voice.

"The bump usually pops up in the twelfth or sixteenth week." Winry said. "We...did it...about two weeks ago, oh my god! I'm going to get fat."

Ed chuckled. "You're going to look so cute with a baby bump." He pulled her closer with his hands on her hips.

"You better not make fun of me." Winry pouted up at him.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Ed smirked. "Plus your breasts are going to get bigger, at least we have that to look forward to." He laughed when Winry slapped his shoulder. After that, they continued on their way.

When they finally reached the main section of the castle, they found it to be surprisingly quiet. Ed moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. At this point he realized that he really had no idea how things turned out down here. Did they win, did they lose? Was Bradley still alive?

"Kind of quiet down here, don't you think?" Winry glanced around.

"Too quiet." Ed said, eyes drifting around. "There's a chance that we might have to start running in a few moments. So when I say run, you run."

"Obviously." Winry rolled her eyes.

They continued on until they heard footsteps coming around from around a corner. Ed drew his sword and moved protectively in front of Winry.

"Shit." He said when several royal blue soldiers came around the corner.

"Is it time to start running?" Winry asked behind him. Ed was about to respond when he heard someone shouting his name.

"Hey Ed!"

Ed and Winry both looked up as someone pushed their way through the soldiers. Ed could see that it was a man wearing glasses. A very familiar looking man with glasses.

"Hughes?" Ed asked as he lowered his sword. Maes Hughes pushed out of the group with a smile on his face.

"It's good to see you made it." Hughes grinned, then looked at Winry and gave a small bow. "Hello, your Grace. Nice to see you're alright as well."

"Uhhh..hi." Winry waved awkwardly.

Hughes turned to the men behind him. "Stand down. These two are on our side." The blue soldiers lowered their weapons as Hughes turned back to Ed and Winry.

"I see everything worked out for you guys." Ed observed as he sheathed his sword.

"Yep, it was a pretty successful coup. The generals barely put up a fight, it was actually kinda anticlimactic." Hughes said. "We have the army under our control and Bradley's dead."

"Bradley's dead?" Winry asked, eyes wide. "How?"

"Alphonse managed to kill him." Hughes informed the pair before glancing behind them. "What about Selim?"

"He's alive, mostly." Ed said, grinning at hearing that Al had killed Bradley. "You'll find what's left of him up in the tower."

"Thanks for that." Hughes said, his face turned sympathetic after a quick glance towards Winry. "It must have been really hard not to kill him."

"I was going to." Ed sighed. "But I was stopped just in time." He gave Winry's hand a squeeze. Winry smiled but then her face grew solemn.

"Um Mr. Hughes?" She asked.

"Yes Ms. Rockbell." He said with a polite smile.

"Selim told me, in the tower, that he murdered the King last night."

Both Hughes and Ed's eyes widened at this revelation. "He killed his own father!" Hughes exclaimed to which Winry nodded.

Ed sighed and ran a hand through his hair before asking Hughes. "If the fighting is over then where is everybody?"

"In the Great Hall." Hughes pointed behind him. "They're getting fixed up."

"Did we lose anyone?" Ed asked his voice growing grim.

Hughes face became serious. "Yeah, your friend Alex. He didn't make it."

"What!" Ed gasped as he stepped forward, his hand unclasping from Winry's. "How?"

"Bradley killed him." Hughes said. "Al was also injured pretty badly in the fight."

"Is he ok?" Ed said worriedly. He felt Winry's hands on his shoulders. His flesh hand moved up to cover one of hers.

"Nothing that he can't recover from." Hughes said. "Ms. Chang's looking after him."

"See you later Hughes." Ed started jogging, pushing past the soldiers. He heard Winry talking behind him.

"Oh when you reach the tower, if you find a big guy in a brown uniform with an x shaped scar on his head please don't hurt him. He helped us out." Winry said.

He heard Hughes agree. Ed kept running until he realized that he had no idea where the Great Hall actually was.

"Ed." He heard Winry call from behind him.

"Yeah." Ed answered as he mentally kicked himself for leaving her behind.

"The Great Hall is this way." Winry giggled as she pointed down a hallway that he had passed.

"Oh." Ed said turning around with a slight blush. "Thanks."

Winry patiently waited for him to catch up with her. Once he was next to her, she took his hand in hers and gave him a small sad smile.

"How well did you know Alex?" She asked as they started walking. Alex Armstrong had been one of her captors, but he'd always been kind to her and had rescued her from the eels.

"Not as much as I as wanted to. He was a good man. A bit over the top at times, but he had a good heart." Ed replied sadly. "I'm worried about Al, the two of them were friends for a long time."

"Let's go see him." Winry smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll want to see you...Plus I want to get to know my future brother-in-law a bit more." She led Ed down the hallway, eventually they came into the hall.

The dinner tables had been pushed to the side and there were dozens of people walking all around. Ed quickly saw his crewmen sitting on a table surrounded by nurses. They looked a bit worse for wear, but otherwise ok. Ed started walking around looking for a glimpse of Al. He recognized Dr. Marcoh who waved to him as he jogged past Ed and Winry. Ed's gaze followed him as he ran up to a bleeding, yet bored looking Izumi Curtis. When Izumi saw them, she smiled and waved as well.

Next to him, Winry nudged his shoulder. "Over there." She pointed near the thrown.

Ed's gaze followed Winry's outstretched hand until he saw Al. His brother was solemnly sitting on a bench. He was shirtless with his left shoulder heavily bandaged and his right arm in a sling. Behind Al on a long table was a large body, that Ed assumed to be Alex. Alex's body was covered by a white sheet that had several bright bloodstains on it. Ed was about to call out to his brother when Winry's voice rang out next to him.

"May!"

The small Xingese girl had been walking up to Al with a jug of wine when she heard her name being called. Looking up, a smile broke out on May's face when she saw her friend.

"Winry!"

Winry left Ed's side and ran over to her friend. May put down the jug and quickly embraced Winry.

"I was so worried about you." Winry said after wrapping her arms around May.

"Me? I was worried about you! Next time I'm taking you with me." May said as she stepped back. She glanced down at Winry's stomach and her eyes widened. "Wow, I've never seen the baby's aura this bright."

"He knows he's safe." Winry smiled as she touched her belly. "And that his father is nearby." She then glanced at Ed with a loving smile.

"He?" May asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Or she." Winry shrugged.

Ed smiled at the reunion before picking up the jug as he walked over to Al.

"Hey Al." Ed said as he placed the jug next to his younger brother. Al jumped at the sound of his name and turned to Ed. His features brightened slightly as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Brother...you made it." Al smiled before glancing past Ed. "And you saved Winry."

"Yeah...I guess I did." Ed said as he ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at Al's bandages and frowned. "How's your shoulder?"

Al gave a sigh and sat back down. "It hurt like hell until Doctor Marcoh gave me some kind of medicine. Now it only stings."

Ed nodded, almost hesitantly he glanced at Alex's body.

"Alex?"

Al's face fell and he bowed his head. "He died saving me from Bradley. It was my fault. I didn't follow the plan. I just saw Bradley and took off."

"I would have done the same." Ed said.

"You wouldn't have gotten your best friend killed." Al snapped. "I-I was helpless. He said he wouldn't leave me. If it wasn't for me, he'd still been alive."

Ed was quiet for a moment before he reached down and pulled Al up. Al hissed slightly at the pain in his shoulder, but went quiet when he felt Ed wrap his arms around him. Al hugged his brother back letting out a few ragged breaths. Soon he felt tears in his eyes and Al let them flow.

"It's ok, Al." Ed said softly. "I've got you."

"He didn't deserve to die." Al said into Ed's shoulder. "Not like that."

"I know." Ed said. "I'm sorry."

"It's my fault." Al said whimpered.

"Don't blame yourself." Ed said. "I know this isn't the same, but I lost many men while I was Greed. They were pirates, but they were my friends; they were good men. I blamed myself for their deaths too. Back in Resembool, Alex told me how much you meant to him; how much he valued your friendship. If he died trying to protect you Al, I don't think he had any regrets. And sometimes life just sucks."

Ed continued to hold Al as he cried into his shoulder. He let Al release all of his grief and anguish, only wishing that he could do more. Eventually, his body stopped shaking and he slowly pulled himself back.

"I...I think I'm good." Al murmured quietly. "Sorry."

"It's ok to be emotional every once in awhile." Ed spoke with a small smile. "It makes you human." He could tell Al was still torn up by this, but let his younger put on a brave face.

Al nodded and then looked over Ed's shoulder. Ed turned around to see Winry standing there a little awkwardly.

"Uh...hi Al." Winry said.

"Hi, Winry." Al said awkwardly. "It's, uh, it's been awhile."

"It has." Winry nodded and motioned to his hair. "I have to say, I like your natural gold better than the brown."

"Me too." Al said with a small smile. "Um, how are you?"

"I'm pretty good." Winry said before she smile turned a little sad. "I'm sorry about Alex."

"Thanks." Al said, smiling sadly.

Suddenly May moved past Ed and placed a hand on Al's good shoulder. "Hey, how's your wound? Are you feeling any better?" She asked in a concerned voice

"Uh...it's getting better." Al mumbled with a small blush. He lifted his head and looked at the three people standing next to him. "So…here we all are." He chuckled.

"So what's supposed to happen now?" Winry asked cautiously as she put her hands on Ed's arm. He noticed that she was eyeing the nearby soldiers nervously. Ed gave her a smile and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Well, we'll have to see." Ed said as he looked around for one man in particular. "Hey Al, is Mustang here?"

"He's over there." Al pointed the man out near the front of the hall.

"Thanks." Ed said then turned to Winry. "I'll be right back." He kissed her on the forehead.

Leaving Winry with Al and May, Ed walked over to Mustang.

"Hey Mustang." Ed called out to the man.

Mustang, who was talking to a soldier, turned at the calling of his name. When he saw Ed, a small smirk formed on his lips. "Look who made it; I must say I'm surprised." The dark haired man said.

"No thanks to you." Ed shot back as he walked up. He looked around at all the soldier's bustling around them. "So it looks like you have things under control here."

"Yes we do." Mustang glanced around with a proud smirk. "We have Selim in custody. Despite your best efforts, he's going to survive his injuries."

"Just promise me that the bastard is going to hang." Ed crossed his arms.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a beheading." Mustang mused.

"Whatever way works for you." Ed said. "So now that your great revolution has succeeded what happens to us?"

"Us?" Mustang asked.

"Myself, Winry, Alphonse, May, and my crew." Ed listed with a growl.

"Oh yes, I see you safely secured the Princess." Mustang looked over Ed's shoulder at Winry with a calculating look in his eyes. Ed didn't like this and stepped to the side. Effectively blocking Mustang's view of Winry and forcing the older man to look at him.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Mustang sighed. "A deal's a deal. You can leave whenever you want."

Ed nodded and turned to leave.

Mustang spoke again. "I contacted your ship, it's docked out in the bay. There's a dinghy by the river dock that you can take to it."

"Can you give us two?" Ed asked. "One for me and one for my men?"

Mustang sighed and gave a nod.

Ed grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Mustang glanced around the hall. "What we did tonight will change the history of this country and generations to come." His voice was proud and he had a weird glint in his eyes.

"Have fun with that." Ed gave a backwards wave as he headed back to his friends and his beloved. Winry gave Ed an expectant look as he walked up to them. "We can leave whenever we want." He looked around at everyone. Winry let out a sigh of relief while May and Al smiled.

"My ship's in the bay." Ed informed them. "There's a dinghy that can take us there."

Al shifted uncomfortably "Actually Brother, I'm not going with you." He said. "At least not yet." Ed frowned in response.

"I want to take Alex's body home to his family." Al said. "I want to tell them that he died a hero, and make sure that they're damn proud of him. I owe him that much."

Ed looked at his brother thoughtfully for a few moments before smiling and nodding in understanding. "Well then, see you soon brother."

"See you soon." Al smiled back.

"I'm coming with you!" May suddenly said, stepping closer to Al.

Three pairs of eyes went to May and she blushed a little.

"Well." She said, determinedly. "Someone's got to make sure your injury doesn't get worse."

Al was blushing himself. "Uhh, yeah. If you want, you can come. I don't see...why not."

May smiled at Al, while he in turn smiled awkwardly back at her. Winry looked between the two of them suspiciously and looked at Ed for confirmation. Ed merely shrugged.

"Well I guess I'll see you soon." Winry smiled and gave May a final hug.

"Don't get into too much trouble without me." May chuckled before glancing at Winry's belly. "I can't wait to see how this baby grows."

"Me too." Ed wrapped an arm around Winry's waist. Looking at his crewmen, Ed snapped his fingers for them to come over. All four pirates immediately made their way to their captain. A few of them were limping.

"Hey boss." Darius smirked. "You look relatively unscathed."

"I'm just that good." Ed returned the smirked.

"I take it this is Winry." Zampano pointed at Winry who was staring up at the four giant men with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'm Winry." She said a little shyly.

"Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am." Heinkel held his hand out. Winry stuck her small hand out, which was easily encased in Heinkel's giant one.

"Wow boss wasn't lying when he said you were pretty." Darius observed. "Among other things."

Winry blushed. "Thank you." She shyly said before frowning and then glaring at Ed.

"What?" He asked.

"What exactly did you say about me?"

"Nothing." Ed said quickly.

Jerso grinned. "Hey boss remember that time you got drunk and started going on about-"

"Finish that story and as your captain I will make you walk the plank." Ed growled while his crew mates laughed.

"Edward." Winry said in a warning tone. "Am I going to have to beat you to death?"

"Yes." All four pirates said in unison. Ed tried to ignore Winry's continuous glare as he talked with his men. "Anyway, Alphonse is taking Alex's body home to his family. I'd like two of you to accompany him."

Jerso and Zampano glanced at each other before speaking up. "We'll go boss."

"Thanks. Once you're done I want you to bring Al and May to the island." Ed ordered them.

"Island?" Al asked confused while May smiled as she knew what Ed was talking about.

"Me and Winry's new home. Trust me you'll love it." Ed said proudly while Winry smiled. Their hands instinctively sought each other out. Ed squeezed her hand before addressing Al again.

"Well I think it's time to leave, Good luck guys."

"I guess we'll see you soon." May said as she hugged Winry again before she moved close to Al. Ed gave his brother a farewell handshake.

"Safe travels." Winry said as she and Ed turned to go. After they left, May and Al looked at each other and gave shy smiles.

After they had walked a short distance away Winry turned to Ed.

"So...are May and Al a...thing?" She asked.

"So you saw it too?" Ed said with a smirk.

"Were they even trying to be subtle?"

"I don't think they even notice." Ed chuckled.

"Do you think we were like that? Early on." Winry asked.

"Probably worse." Ed shrugged as the two of them exited the Great Hall. "Are you ready to finally leave?"

"Yes!" Winry said, her voice almost choking up. Ed smiled, "Then follow me." He said.

They silently made their way down the long hallways, walking past Mustang's soldiers, doctors, and confused servants. The castle seemed to blur together as they made their way out of the large arch entrance, across the outer courtyard, and down the stone steps leading to the river. Before Winry knew it they were standing on the docks.

True to his word, Mustang had left a dinghy by the docks.

"If this thing sinks I swear I'm going to swim back and kick Mustang's ass." Ed commented as he inspected the boat. There was a small sail in the middle and oars on the side.

"Well it's small." Ed said as he kneeled down to examine the boat further. "But it should sail. Looks like the we'll have the wind on our side."

"Are we ready to set sail, Captain Elric?" Winry said, barely containing a giggle.

"After you." Ed said as he stood up and suddenly scooped Winry off her feet. "Ed!" Winry squealed as Ed held her bridal style.

"Yes ma'am?" Ed asked as he placed her gently down in the boat.

"Nothing." She huffed as she looked up at him.

Ed smiled as he stepped into the boat before kicking it off from the docks.

"Wait? What about your crewmen?" Winry asked, looking back at the shore.

"Don't worry, I made sure they had their own boat." Ed informed her as he began to steer the boat down the river. "I'd like a few minutes alone with you before we climb aboard a whole ship if those guys."

Winry nodded and tugged Ed's coat further around her shoulders. She watched as Ed set the sail and moved around the small boat with ease. Despite the slight rocking he moved with perfect balance and elegance. The sky was clear and the moon was shining bright in the sky, illuminating the water around them. The moonlight outlined Ed's tall figure; it shined in his hair and flared in his golden eyes.

He looked beautiful.

Winry turned around to watch the receding shore line. The castle looked as if it was slowly floating away. With every second that passed the lights of her former prison grew dimmer.

'I'm free.' She smiled. The soft bumps of the water against the boat and the fresh smell in the air made it all the more real.

'I'm free from it all.' Winry thought happily to herself. 'The fear, the beatings, the humiliations, Basque Grand, King Bradley, Selim. It's all over.' Her hands rubbed her stomach where their unborn child was growing. 'We made it. We survived.' She said to her baby before looking back up at Ed. 'Because of him, because of your father.'

Ed stared out into the distance. In the dark horizon he could make out the faint silhouette of his ship. The very ship that was going to take them away from Amestris and to their future.

'It better be in the same shape that I left it in.' Ed thought in his head.

His attention was grabbed when he heard the sound of sniffling behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Ed saw Winry sitting there with tears silently streaming down her face. Letting go of the sail Ed quickly crouched down in front of her. His hands lifted her face so that she was looking at him. His eyes searched her's for any distress.

"Why are you crying?" He asked softly as he used his thumbs to wipe her tears away. Winry hiccuped a little as she tried to stop her crying.

"I'm...sorry Ed, but I'm not sad." A small smile appeared on her face. "I'm happy. These are tears of joy."

Ed couldn't look away from that smile. It was the smile that she'd given him at the Fire Swamp. The one he had sworn to see again during his imprisonment.

'I really did it.' Ed said as he pulled Winry into his arms. 'I actually did it.' He had been through so much; he had bled, suffered, and fought to get back to her. Now, he had finally gotten the love of his life back. 'Equivalent Exchange.'

Ed sat down on the bench that circled the inside of the boat, Winry curled up on his lap. Ed ran his metal hand through her hair while his other rested under her legs. Winry's head rested on his chest, right above his heart. The rhythmic beating was soothing to her ears.

"What should we name the baby?" Ed asked.

"I've heard it's bad luck to do that before week 12." Winry commented lightly.

"That didn't stop us earlier. And I've always enjoyed risks.' Ed kissed her forehead.

Winry bit her lip as she thought about Ed's question.

"Well, I'm not sure what to name him if it's a boy. But if we have a girl, do you want to name her Tricia?" Winry looked up at Ed to see his response.

Ed stared down at her with wide eyes. She tried to figure out which emotions she saw in them. At the moment there were so many. Her search ended when he smiled and kissed her. It was a long, sensuous kiss that left her with a blush on her pretty face.

"I think that sounds perfect." Ed's metal arm pulled her closer till there was no space in between their bodies. He couldn't help but smirk at the way she blushed when they kissed. It made her look so damn cute.

"Can we get married before the baby comes?" Winry asked.

"The island is about 5 weeks of sea traveling away. So yes, we can make it." Ed said. "You don't have to worry about running out of clothes or anything. I have several chests filled with the best dresses I could find. They're just simple enough for your liking. A big, comfortable bed too."

Winry let out a happy sigh. "After this batshit crazy night, I could use a good night's sleep."

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Ed grinned as he winked suggestively. "I just got you back and there are some certain things I've been dying to do to you."

"Ed!" Winry laughed and slapped his shoulder.

Ed's smirk became wolfish. "Don't worry, I think we've both had a little too much excitement for one night, but tomorrow morning…afternoon…night." His smirk widened. "As I said, I have a big, comfortable bed all to myself and the wooden walls of the cabin are very, very thick. Can you think of anyway else to spend those 5 weeks." To emphasize his words, Ed began moving his hands up and down her sides.

Winry shivered, but not from the cold. She ducked her head in order to hide her blush. "Honestly, is sex the only thing men think about?"

"Only if it's with you."

"You're damn right it'll only be with me." Winry chuckled before snuggling back into Ed's chest. "Can you describe the island to me again? Please?"

Ed's smile widened. "Well it's a pretty large island actually. There's a big house we can buy, with plenty of fields for this little one to play in." Ed patted her belly. "The trees are beautiful and tropical. You'll love the fruit that grows on them. The people there are great. There's a large village there. I guess it's a small city. From the looks of things it's been expanding recently. You can open up a smithy. If you want, Neil can teach you how to make automail. There's beautiful beaches next to the city. The water is warm and the sand is the softest you'll ever find. The beaches stretch for miles and look beautiful in the afternoon. The sunsets are something else. It's like stepping into a dream. Though, I don't think they're as pretty as you; not even close." Ed smirked as he imagined him and Winry walking along the beaches at sundown, hand in hand.

"Sounds nice." Winry said, her voice was quieter now. Ed could hear a hint of tiredness in it. He himself was starting to drift off, but he had to stay awake. It probably wouldn't end well if they both fell asleep in this tiny boat. Ed ran his hand through her soft hair.

"Hey Ed?" Winry's increasingly sleepy voice asked.

"Yes honey?" Ed asked.

"Are you ever going to leave again?"

Ed frowned slightly at this question. Pulling back a little, he looked at Winry. Looking into her eyes, he could see some hints of worry there.

"No." He said firmly as he shook his head. "Never again. For now on, wherever you go, I go."

Winry gave a small smile before her mouth turned into a sceptic frown. "Will you be ok living on an island for the rest of your life?" Winry asked skeptically.

"I'd live in this tiny boat for the rest of my life if that was all we had." Ed said. "And if I ever decide I want to go back out into the world, I'll take you with me."

"Really?" Winry asked.

"Of course." Ed nuzzled his face into her hair. "We're a team now. You, me, and this little one." Ed rubbed her belly. "There are a lot of amazing places I'd like to show you two."

The two of them went into a comfortable silence. Ed continued to stroke Winry's hair. He had decided to enjoy this moment and wait for her to fall asleep.

Winry let out a content sigh as she snuggled into Ed's warmth. Her heart soared because she knew that she was going to wake up everyday to his familiar scent, wrapped in this warmth.

"I love you Ed." Winry said as she felt sleep start to claim her.

Ed smiled and glanced up at his ship. The wind had pushed them closer. They couldn't be more than 50 yards away. Already Ed could see his crew on the deck. It wouldn't be much of a journey for him after Winry fell asleep. He looked back down when he heard Winry's breathing becoming steady. He gave her one final kiss before she drifted off.

"I love you too…Princess."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **Final author's note will be included in the epilogue, which I will try to get out within the next week. Sorry for killing Alex.**


	16. Epilogue

**Here it is, the final part of this story. It's not big or grand, just a glimpse of the future. Lemon, because why not?**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The faint sound of waves breaking against rocks could be heard. Rays of light poured in through the open window. The light moved from the window across the floor until it landed on a bed. The bed was large, it's sheets and blankets made of the softest furs and silks that money could buy. It was quiet in this room, the only sounds came from outside. None of which disturbed the bed's occupants.

Two people lay close to one another under the covers. Both at peace in their current positions.

Outside, a baker's apprentice was delivering bread to the people of the city. He stopped in front of the large house and gave an annoyed sigh. He was in a section of houses that were a little off from the rest of the city. This was where the Island's most privileged citizens lived. He stepped through the skillfully constructed gate and up the short tiled path. He came to a stop in front of the oak door, outlined in carefully carved brick. He placed the wrapped bread at the foot of the door as the family inside was no doubt still asleep. Heading back to the road, he stopped to look over his shoulder. Taking one last envious glance at the wide, open fields that made up the yards and at the beautiful house itself; the baker's apprentice left the property of Mr. and Mrs. Elric.

Inside, Winry was the first to wake up.

The sun was shining directly on her face and she grimaced when she opened her eyes only to be blinded momentarily.

'I thought I fixed that damn shutter.' She grumbled in her head. 'And I told him to close it last night.'

Grabbing one of the pillows around her, Winry propped it up so that it blocked the offending sunlight. With a victorious smile she snuggled back into the soft furs. Her movements and fidgeting caused the body behind her to tighten his grip around her waist. Winry could feel hard muscles against her back as she relaxed into the pleasant touch.

'Usually he's already up before I am.' Winry mused lazily. 'I like this better.' She thought as she entwined their legs.

The person next to her seemed to agree as he pulled her flush against him until they were completely spooning. Winry started to wonder if he was awake when she felt her hair being brushed to the side and a soft kiss being pressed against the back of her neck. She smiled as she felt strong hands begin to massage her sides.

"Good morning." A groggy voice whispered into her ear.

"Good morning to you too." Winry said as she craned her head back, trying to catch a glimpse of her husband.

Even this early in the morning Ed still had a smirk on his face. The sunlight creeping through the window caused his golden hair to glow. It also illuminated his muscled and chiselled chest, much to Winry's glee.

'I love weekends.' Ed thought as he stared into the azure eyes of his wife. Usually at this hour, he'd have to leave early for work. But since it was during the weekend, he got to wake up to this pleasant sight. Feeling Winry's soft body against his was an extra bonus. At the moment she looked as beautiful as ever; wearing a blue, silk slip that hugged every single one of her lovely curves.

Winry shifted her body until the two of them were facing each other. Ed's hands ran up and down her back. Winry rested her face against his chest as Ed's fingers played with her hair and slip. He ran the soft blue material through his fingers, enjoying this moment of quiet peace before deciding to break it.

"You were fidgeting in your sleep last night." Ed said into his wife's ear. "Everything ok?"

Winry nodded and placed a kiss on his shoulder. "That was the first one in a couple of months." She said quietly. "It wasn't even that bad, compared to how they started off."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ed asked, concern in his voice.

Ed was referring to the dreams that sometimes plagued Winry at night. Dreams of the real life nightmare that she had to live through. They usually involve pleasant subjects such as death and abandonment.

"It was…I can't really describe it." Winry said softly as she tucked her head under Ed's chin. "I think you were on a ship and I was on the beach. I was watching you float away and I somehow knew that it was going to be for forever."

"You know that's never going to happen." Ed said firmly as he pulled back to stare directly into her eyes. "You know that right?"

"I do." Winry whispered before wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's just...the worst part was that you weren't even looking back at me as you left. You were looking away."

Ed silenced her with a deep kiss on the lips. Winry let out a quiet moan as she felt his tongue against her lips, begging for access. She granted him, moaning when his tongue began to wrestle with hers for dominance. Simultaneously, his skillful hands gently massaged her back.

Ed pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

"We're a team." He said. "Till death do us part."

Ed took Winry's smaller hand in his, their gold rings clinked softly against each other. Winry smiled up at him.

"Anyway." She said. "Enough about me. How did you sleep?"

"Fine." Ed answered his wife bluntly.

He never liked to admit it but after escaping the castle Ed also suffered from occasional nightmares. They usually involved him being powerless as those he loved suffered and died around him. He was always reluctant to tell her about them, but when Winry invoked equivalent exchange as a reason for him to tell her he gave in. He did say they were a team.

As Winry stared into her husband's serious expression she decided that that things were a little too tense this early in the morning.

'I think I know how to fix that.' A smile appeared on her face. If things went right, this morning was about to get a lot more interesting. Besides, they'd both been very busy for the last week and a half. It was time to get back on track.

Lifting her head, her soft lips went straight for Ed's neck. Winry's hands moved to his shoulders to pull herself up so that she could have better access to his flesh.

Ed raised an eyebrow as he felt his wife dropping kisses along the length of his throat. Her hands dropped from his shoulder to explore the expense of his muscular chest. Her fingers ghosted over hard pecs and biceps, causing Ed to sign contently. Winry grinned as her kisses went from Ed's shoulder all the way up to his jaw. His slightly unshaven chin tickled her face, but she kept herself from giggling. She continued to peck his face, but purposely avoided his lips. She kissed around his jaw, up his cheeks, and around his nose.

Ed let out an annoyed groan. It had been nice to let Winry indulge herself but he could only last for so long. He moved his face forward to capture her lips again but she retreated.

Winry couldn't help but smirk as Ed glared at her. She pushed on his shoulder until he was lying flat on his back. Winry then climbed on top of him and straddled his hips. Again Ed tried to kiss her and once again Winry avoided him.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Ed grumbled, if he really wanted to he could have gotten a kiss. But he was interested in seeing where she was going with this.

Winry giggled a little and moved in for what looked like an actual kiss. Ed was about to declare victory when her lips darted to the side and stopped by his ear.

"What am I doing?" She breathed huskily into his before slowly licked the shell and blowing on it. Ed groaned and griped her hips, pressing their pelvises together. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Winry began to rotate her hips in figure eights.

"You're a tease, you know that." Ed's glare was clouded as his hands, both flesh and metal, squeezed her hips.

"Am I?" Winry ran her tongue down his throat to the top of his chest. Ed let out a quiet sigh. Winry could feel his hard length pressing against her stomach through his trousers and her slip. She pressed on. Her hand drifted down his chest. It ghosted over the firm abs until it came to the waist of his pants. Winry let out a devilish smirk as her hand moved into his pants and gripped his hardening member. Ed's whole body twitched as her soft fingers wrapped around him.

"If you really think so." She began to slowly pump him earning a gasp. "What are you going to do about it?" She increased the speed of her hand as Ed started thrusting his hips in sync with her.

If the feeling of his hard length in her hand didn't get her blood pumping enough, the hungry look in his eyes certainly did.

"This." He said with a grin.

Ed's metal hand shot up from her hip and grabbed a handful of her hair. Winry didn't protest as he pulled her down into a searing kiss. She sped her hand up, pumping him even faster. Ed groaned into her mouth before he deepened the kiss. His tongue swiftly entered into her mouth, mapping every inch just like he had done millions of times before. His flesh hand grabbed a handful of her lovely backside.

Winry grinned as she kissed Ed back; her small hand continuing to stroke him. Ed sat up so that she was sitting in his lap facing him, her legs around his waist. Ed gave her ass another squeeze as Winry gripped his cock with both hands. They continued to kiss as Ed slowly turned them over and laid her down. Ed's hands grasped Winry's and gently pinned them above her head. He used one hand to trap both of her arms while the other cupped her face, angling it into the kiss. Ed pushed forward, confident that she wanted this and was comfortable. His tongue fought with hers for dominance as the kiss became more and more heated. He eventually won, grinning against her mouth when he heard her moan loudly. God, he'd never get tired of that sound. His grin stayed as his tongue worked its magic. Eventually the two of them had to break for air. Ed didn't miss a beat and began kissing her neck. His hand moved down, between her legs. His fingers teased the edges before dipping one finger into her wet heat. Winry let out a gasp as he began to rub her clit with his thumb. Her breathing came out in pants due to the double stimulation his skilled fingers were providing.

Due to Ed's increased interest in alchemy, the law of equivalent exchange had become an unofficial rule for the couple. One of them would always give as much as they received. This applied to chores, work, as well as their devotion to each other. It also applied to certain bedroom activities. But at moments like this, Winry liked to let Ed take control and direct their passion.

Ed's metal hand held Winry's wrists in a gentle grip as his flesh fingers delved into her warm center. She gasped, her face red as Ed curled his long fingers inside of her.

"E…Ed." She gasped. "D-don't...tease me."

"But that's half the fun." Ed chuckled as his thumb rubbed her clitorus in slow circles. She cried out as his digits sped up, her wrists twisting in his grip. He looked over her dazed half lidded eyes, red cheeks, and swollen lips. Her chest was heaving, her bountiful breasts rising and falling. Her hair was splayed out around her. He released her wrists and brought his hand down to pinch one of her nipples. She gave a small yelp in response and weakly swatted his hand. He always seemed to know just how to turn her into a puddle of goo. Her legs twitched as his ministrations wrecked havoc on her senses.

"Let's get this moving.' Ed decided, as he removed his now wet fingers. Winry whinned and closed her thighs, trying to prevent his hand from leaving.

"Do you need something, Winry?" Ed said as he worked his pants off. He loved the way she looked when she was hot and bothered.

"W-what...do you...think?" Winry glared up at him. Damn him and his infernal teasing.

Ed smirked and finished removing his pants. He was standing on his knees above Winry. Winry's gaze went from his face to his hardened member.

"See something you like." Ed said with a grin, although he already knew the answer.

Winry gave a small growl, "Get on with it Ed." She ordered.

Ed smirked then grabbed Winry shoulders and sat her up. He quickly divested her of her slip, flinging the blue fabric to the edge of the bed. Ed kissed Winry deeply, cradling the back of her head, before grabbing her shoulders again. Winry let out a squeal as he flipped her onto her stomach. Landing on her hands and knees, Winry's breathing sped up as Ed grasped her hips tightly and pulled her firm ass against his pelvis. Her arms shook in anticipation as she felt his erect penis teasing her folds.

God, she loved this position. Ed always made sex great when he ventured into his wilder side.

Ed ran his hands from the back of Winry's thighs to her shoulder blades. His flesh and metal hands gripped her shoulders in order to stabilize her. The muscles in her back were tense as she waited impatiently.

"Well?" She looked over her shoulder. Ed smirked as he leant forward to whisper in her ear. She could feel him rubbing against her bum.

"You're beautiful, my wife." Ed whispered into her ear. His hands ran under her, squeezing her breasts and tweaking her hard nipples. Her breath caught in her throat as his hands massaged the soft mounds of flesh. She could still feel him rubbing against her. Ed was in cloud nine at the moment. He loved how her firm breasts felt in his hands. He loved hearing her voice her pleasure. He loved her.

After several moments of heavy groping she couldn't take it anymore. "Just do it!" She ordered, her voice husky with arousal.

"As you wish." Ed whispered before he joined them in the most intimate of ways. Both of them groaned loudly as he filled her completely. "Took you long enough." Winry teased and gave him a wink. Her teasing was abruptly cut off by a swift spank to her backside.

"Ed!" Winry yelped, then spoke in an annoyed voice. He had still yet to move within her. "It's too early in the morning for this. Just fuck me already!"

"Thought you'd never ask." Ed muttered as he pulled back before thrusting back in. His metal arm wrapped around her waist as he began to pound into her. Winry moaned as she moved her hips back to meet Ed, thrust for thrust.

"Uh…nhg...ahh!" Winry moaned out as he pounded away.

Ed bit his tongue to keep from crying out. Winry was so hot and tight he knew he wouldn't last long. Already he could feel a tightening in his crotch. The feel of her around him and the erotic noises she was making only pushed him closer to the edge.

'Her first.' Ed thought in his head. It was only fair, considering everything he'd put her through this morning, that she should get release first. With that in mind, his pace sped up; which thrilled Winry if her cries were any indication. He could hear whimpers and mewls escaping from his wife as he continued his rough pace.

"W-Winry." Ed moaned out her name as both his hands gripped her hips, slamming them back onto him. The erotic sound of flesh against flesh filled the room. After a particularly deep thrust Winry's arms gave out and she buried her face in the pillows. Still, she tried her best in moving her hips in sync with Ed as he continued pounding her into the sheets. His grip on her hips was contributing the most to her movement.

"Harder!" He heard her beg. "Please, Ed!... Ah…uhhh…harder." Winry was usually a very composed woman, but once in bed she'd turn into a screamer.

Ed was panting, her cries of pleasure were music to his ears and spurned him on. Winry was close, he could tell by the way she cried out with every thrust. Reaching under her, Ed wrapped his arms around her waist. With one big thrust, he pulled Winry up so that they were both up on their knees, her back against his chest. Winry's head rolled limply onto his shoulder allowing him access to her sweaty neck. She sighed and gave him more access.

"So beautiful." Ed mumbled into her hot flesh. He lavished her neck, paying special attention to her pulse point. All the while continuing to thrust into her tight canal. "And all mine." He dragged his tongue across her throat. Winry whimpered, reaching up and grasping Ed's long hair.

Ed kept an arm around her as his other hand turned her face to kiss him. As he captured her lips in a loving kiss, his hand moved down. Winry gasped as his fingers began to play with her clitorus. Her grip on his hair tightened.

"Finish for me, sweetheart." Ed whispered before locking their lips again. His free hand moved to one of her breasts.

With one final thrust, Winry screamed into his mouth. She broke the kiss as wave after wave of pleasure began to crash into her. Ed felt her pulsing deliciously around him and that was it.

They finished together.

Panting loudly, the two of them collapsed into the warm sheets. Ed was partly lying on Winry as they both came down from their orgasmic highs. Lifting himself up, Ed rolled over onto his back. He gently took Winry by her arms and pulled her onto his broad chest. From there he wrapped her in his arms, holding her gently as if she was made of glass. They laid there for what seemed like forever.

Winry could hear the pounding of Ed's heart as they both caught their breaths, their sweaty bodies draped over each other. Her arms wrapped around him as she felt a kiss against her forehead.

His metal hand came up and touched her face. It was the hand that she had recently made for him. It wasn't the best piece of automail in the world, but she was getting better. The cool metal was a comfort against her heated skin. The hand gently caressed her face, pushing her sweaty hair out of the way.

"Hey?" Winry tiredly lifted her head to look at Ed when she heard his voice. "Are you ok?" He asked, his face was neutral but she could see seriousness in his eyes.

Sighing internally, Winry smiled, "I'm great."

Ed studied her face for a moment before he allowed himself to smile. "Good." He relaxed back into the soft pillows, holding Winry close.

"Well that's certainly a way to start off the morning." Winry said with a smirk. She was probably going to limp a little.

"If you wanted me too, I could quit my job so we can do this every morning." Ed joked with a smirk as he gave her bum a pinch.

"No." Winry chuckled, swatting his hand away. "You'd miss your job too much and I don't think I would survive that everyday:"

"What's a matter? Starting to get old, Princess." Ed teased.

"Hey, I'm only 22!" Winry slapped his chest, below his automail shoulder. "Besides, you're four months older than me."

"You're still old." Ed laughed as he kissed her head.

Winry pouted and pushed Ed's arms away. "As fun as this is. We kind of have to get up now." She sat up on the bed.

Ed sighed, 'All good things must come to an end.'

Winry looked around for her slip, while Ed grabbed his pants. Eventually Winry found it off the side of the bed. She bent over the edge, giving Ed a nice view. He was tempted to give her another pinch, but held back.

"What's on your plate for today?" Winry asked as she pulled the blue material over her head.

"Just some papers to grade." Ed finished with his pants. "You?"

"I have a client at noon, just a routine checkup." Winry stretched her back as she sat at the foot of the bed. "Oh, make sure to tell me if any of the girls left any love notes for you. They're fun to read."

"Its nice knowing you're ok with younger woman fawning over me." Ed smirked.

"You should see some of my patients." Winry smirked as well. "People just don't respect a wedding ring like they used to."

"Yeah, kids these days." Ed joked, amused by how much more 'adult' the two of them were compared to people just a few years younger than them.

"By the way, do you think you would be open for lunch at the cove?" Ed moved to sit next to her.

"It would have to be a little late, but I think so. As long as _she_ doesn't try to climb the cliffs again." Winry warned.

"Come on." Ed smiled as he pulled Winry close to him. "She's allowed to be a little adventurous."

"There's a fine between adventure and reckless endangerment." Winry stared him down.

Ed nodded and kissed Winry. It was a slow loving kiss. No tongues or groping from either of them.

"Are trying to get me to stay here?" Winry asked in between kisses.

"Maybe." Ed continued to kiss her. His hand running up the smooth flesh of her arm.

As they got lost in each other they failed to notice the sound of the door opening or the sound of little feet running on the ground.

"Aarrgghh!" Ed let out a cry as a small, blond haired projectile hit him directly in the chest. Said blonde projectile then proceeded to wrap her little arms around his neck as he fell back on the bed. Winry quickly got out of her shock and giggled at the antics of the overly excited little figure.

"DATTY, MOMMY! GOOD MORNING!" The little blonde, golden eyed girl proclaimed. Beneath her, Ed groaned in pain while Winry laughed even harder. The little girl looked down at her father and saw that his eyes were closed.

"Datty! Datty! Wake up!" She jumped up and down on his chest. Ed felt the wind being knocked out of him with every jump. "Winry...ugh...help!" He gasped.

"Good morning sweetheart." Winry cooed as she lifted her three year old daughter into her arms. Trisha Elric let out a squeal of delight and eagerly hugged her mother. "My goodness, what brought this on?" Winry asked, looking down at her excited little girl with a smile.

"Mommy! Mommy! I made sumting!" Trisha proclaimed proudly.

"You did! Oh sweetie what is it?" Winry giggled.

"Is it a new rib?" Ed groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Winry slapped him lightly on the shoulder. At the sound of her father's voice Trisha turned around, her smile growing even bigger.

"Datty, Datty! I made it fur yu!" The little girl said as she wiggled out of her mother's arms. Trisha excitedly reached into her pocket and pulled out an object which she quickly hid behind her back, her face radiating excitement.

"Whatcha you got there, Trish?" Ed asked his daughter. His frown giving away to a smile that he always reserved for his little angel.

"I made sumting, I made sumting." Her eyes sparkled.

"Ok." Ed smiled. "What is it?"

Tricia proudly held out the item in her tiny hands. Ed took it to get a better look. Tricia clasped her hands under her chin as she waited in anticipation.

Ed examined the stone object, after a moment he released it was a toy horse. He glanced up to see his little girl practically bursting with excitement. "Did you make this?" He asked teasingly.

Trisha let out a squeal. "Yes! Yes! I told you. I use akemy."

"You mean alchemy? Oh sweetie this is wonderful." Winry praised Trisha as she took the horse from Ed. "Isn't it Ed?"

"Wow." Ed said in wonderment. "It took me forever to do something like that. How did you do it?"

"Yur drawings." Tricia answered. "The ones with the circles!" She emphasized the shape by drawing air circles with her right hand.

"How did you look at those?" Winry asked confused.

"Datty like to sleep in his room with the door open and the circles on the floor." Tricia responded innocently.

"Ed!" Winry turned to glare at him. "I told you be more careful, alchemy can be dangerous. She could have hurt herself."

"I didn't know she was sneaking into my office while I slept." Ed held his hands up defensively. "Besides, what about the time she played with your blacksmith tools? That wasn't dangerous?"

"That was one time." Winry shot back. Tricia suddenly began talking getting both of their attentions.

"I saw Datty make mommy tings and I wanted to make Datty sumting." Tricia held her hands behind her back.

"That's really sweet, baby." Ed said. "But next time do it with daddy so I can watch you."

"Ok Datty." Tricia smiled. Ed held back a sigh, his little girl was able to pronounce 'mommy' perfectly but had yet to correctly say 'daddy'. For now he would have to settle with being 'datty'.

Winry scooped Tricia up in her arms and bounced her slightly. "When did you make the horsey, Tricia?"

The little girl's eyes lit up. "Oh I did it this morning. Datty was in bed and not in his office."

Winry raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Just how long have you been up, you sneak?"

Tricia put her index finger to her mouth as she got lost in thought. After a few moments she exclaimed. "A little bit. I heard that you and Datty woke up, so I came to show you!"

Winry's face turned red as she remembered what had transpired before Tricia's arrival. Ed seemed to have similar thoughts. "Wh-what did you hear honey?" He nervously asked his three year old daughter.

"Uhhhh… it sounded like you and mommy were playing, making animal noises."

Winry covered her beet red face with her free hand as Ed swallowed. "Yeah…playing...let's go with that." Winry couldn't keep it in and began laughing while Tricia looked confused.

"Is my little genius hungry?" Winry twirled Tricia in her arms as she got off the bed. Eager to change the subject.

Tricia frowned. "I'm not little." She pouted in a way that made her look exactly like Winry. Ed couldn't hold his laughter. In truth their daughter was the spitting image of Winry, only with Ed's golden eyes.

"Okay." Winry chuckled. "Let's get you something to eat." She then carried Tricia downstairs for breakfast.

Ed stayed on the bed watching his two girls head down. With a smile, he laid back into the covers.

Ed glanced over at the bedside table. There was a package there that he had put to the side before going to sleep the previous night. It was a message from Al.

Opening it, Ed saw that it was several pages of notes about Alkahestry. There was a brief message from Al along with it.

 _Hey Brother, how's it going? The boat ride to Xing was pretty calm, all things considered. Nothing to really complain about. May still hasn't gotten better at sea travel though. Xing is incredible. It's completely different from Amestris. You should come here with Winry and Trisha sometime. What I have included above are just some of the things that I've learned. I'll bring more with me when we come back. Say hi to Winry for us and give little Tricia a kiss. Tell her, her Aunt May and Uncle Alphonse are going to bring her a present when we get back. Anyway, see you in about three months brother._

 _Love,_

 _Alphonse._

Al had followed Ed down the path of an academic career. Together they were partners in research. Shortly after Ed and Winry had finally married, Ed began to look more into Alchemy. Although he'd gotten a job as a dock supervisor his main interest soon became studying Alchemy. Ed found that researching and cataloguing data came very easy to him, as did Al when he himself got into it. Al said they got their intelligence from their father, Hohenheim. Al had described their father to him in great detail, and based on the impressive feats that their father accomplished, Ed had to agree with him. Two years after Tricia had been born, and with some encouragement from Winry, Ed had applied to the Island's University. Ed had been nervous because this University was one of the most renowned. It wasn't very old yet it was the center of knowledge for this side of the ocean. People came from all over to try and get in. To his surprise, the head of the university was very interested in Alchemy and gave Ed a position in science. Ed, along with some help from Al, now researched Alchemy to create a greater understanding of the rare art. He also got to teach some of his own classes. The hours were good and Ed was allowed to mostly work at his home, with his family nearby. Winry had set up an automail and blacksmith shop closer to town. She'd named it after Pinako.

"This is the life." Ed chuckled to himself. Five years ago when he first stepped foot in the Rockbell residence he didn't think a life like this was possible. It wouldn't have been, if it hadn't been for Winry. She had made all of this possible. This house, this life, their daughter. Everything.

The sound of Tricia giggling at something downstairs caught his attention. With a smile Ed dropped the note and moved to get dressed.

Downstairs, Tricia waited patiently in her chair as she watched her mom get breakfast ready. Winry was mixing some porridge when she heard her daughter's voice behind her.

"Mommy, can you tell me the story again?"

Winry looked over her shoulder. "Tricia, it's the morning."

"I know." Tricia said from her chair. "But I like it."

Winry gave a small smile, "I like it too." She took the porridge and walked it over to the table. Tricia held her little hands out in anticipation for the food.

"One second, sweetie." Winry took a seat and placed the bowl in front of the little girl. Tricia took a spoon and began to eat quickly.

"Slow down a little bit." Winry chuckled, sometimes her daughter reminded her so much of Ed. "Do you want to hear the story?"

Tricia nodded her head eagerly as she had her full mouth.

"Well ok." Winry began. "Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl who loved each other very much. One day the boy had to leave because he needed to get money to marry the girl, his true love. A few weeks later the girl got a letter telling her that the boy had died. The girl got very sad, because she missed him very, very much. She stayed sad for a long time before an evil Prince came along and kidnapped her. He wanted to make her his queen, but she didn't love him. So for weeks, she sat in her tower. Wishing for someone to come and rescue her."

Tricia was completely absorbed into the story, her bowl of food forgotten.

"But then the boy, who was now a man, was alive and heard that his true love was in danger. He rushed to the castle as fast as he could, along with his brother and a giant. They fought their way through the evil Prince's soldiers and the man was once again reunited with the women he loved. He rescued her from the tower and took her away from the evil castle. The two of them were finally able to get married and they lived happily ever after."

"Yay!" Tricia clapped her hands like she did everytime Winry got to the end of the story. "I like dat story." Tricia said happily. "It has a good ending."

Winry smiled. "I like the ending too, sweetie."

"That makes three of us."

Winry turned to see Ed walking over to them with his usual smirk on his face. He gave Winry a quick kiss on the lips before moving to get his own breakfast.

"Mommy?" Tricia asked curiously. "What happened to the evil Prince?" Winry raised an eyebrow at Tricia's question since she'd never asked about Selim before. Just as she began to speak Ed beat her to it.

"He got what he deserved." Ed said from the other side of the kitchen. "Not enough if you ask me." He muttered the last part under his breath.

"Okay." Tricia accepted her father's answer before diving back into her porridge.

"Oh sweetie. Please eat your food slower." Winry said as she leaned forward to wipe porridge off of Tricia's chin with a cloth.

"My spoon is too big mommy." Tricia defended, her golden eyes wide and innocent.

"Then only take half a spoonful." Winry gently instructed her daughter. Tricia pouted but followed her mother's instructions. Winry smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair, causing the little girl to giggle. Winry turned her head and locked eyes with Ed. He was standing at the counter, mixing coffee beans into water. He had a content smile on his face.

Just then a small dog came running into the room, barking and wagging its tail happily. A clanging sound came with it as one of the dog's legs was made of automail.

"Den!" Tricia squealed as she jumped out of her high chair to play with her dog. Ed moved quickly, catching his daughter in mid air before placing her safely on the ground. Tricia took off the second her tiny feet touched the ground. She ran, giggling, to the dog and threw her arms around him. The puppy licked her face eagerly then took off running, with Tricia behind him.

"Sweetly, remember to be careful." Winry called after her before turning to Ed with a grin. "Told you a dog was a good idea." She said as they watched their daughter happily playing with Den the second. They had gotten him about 6 months prior after Tricia had begged them for a dog. At first Ed had been a little nervous that Den would hurt Tricia. But the puppy seemed to adore his little companion and played with her everyday.

"All I said was that we shouldn't bite off more than we can chew." Ed defended as he walked up to stand next to Winry. "We already had one small overly-energetic animal to look after."

"If I recall correctly, you starting using that figure of speech as soon as the morning sickness kicked in." Winry said as she leaned back into Ed. "Which, by the way, only lasted for a week."

"Thank god for that." Ed mumbled. "That week was nothing compared to the mood swings. Besides, I think we did a pretty good job in handling those two." Winry smiled as Ed wrapped his strong arms around her waist.

"Thank you Ed."

Ed's brow furrowed in confusion. "For what exactly?"

"I'm not sure…for everything I guess." Winry said with a light blush.

"I could say the same to you."

Winry chuckled and leaned further back into Ed. She sighed in contentment at the feeling of being in his arms as they washed Tricia chase Den in circles. She always felt safe in those arms.

There had been some bumps along the road, but the good had always outweighed the bad. Their new life wasn't perfect but to Winry it might as well have been. Because she had everything she could have ever wanted. She glanced up to look into the golden eyes of the man she loved.

"As you wish."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Come my love I'll tell you a tale  
Of a boy and girl and their love story  
And how he loved her oh so much  
And all the charms she did possess  
Now this did happen once upon a time  
When things were not so complex  
How he worshipped the ground she walked  
And when he looked in her eyes he became obsessed.

My love is like a storybook story  
But it's as real as the feelings I feel  
My love is like a storybook story  
But it's as real as the feelings I feel  
It's as real as the feelings I feel

This love was stronger than the powers so dark  
A prince could have within his keeping  
His spells to weave and steal a heart  
Within her breast but only sleeping

My love is like a storybook story  
But it's as real as the feelings I feel  
My love is like a storybook story  
But it's as real as the feelings I feel  
It's as real as the feelings I feel

He said, "Don't you know I love you oh so much  
And lay my heart at the foot of your dress?"  
She said, "Don't you know that storybook loves  
Always have a happy ending?"  
Then he swooped her up just like in the books  
And on his stallion they rode away

My love is like a storybook story  
But it's as real as the feelings I feel  
My love is like a storybook story  
But it's as real as the feelings I feel

-Princess Bride soundtrack, Storybook Love.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **Oh my god it's finally finished! We've reached the promised land! Sorry about killing Alex. I went into this story planning for someone to die in the climax. It was either going to be him or May. Hey at least Bradley died and Ed kicked the shit out of Selim. I hope the ending and the epilogue were satisfying. I wrote a lemon scene mainly because I've put Ed and Winry through so much crap, I felt that they needed some 'happy' moments. I hope you all like little Tricia as well.**

 **This has definitely been a journey. I first started writing this story as a way to pass the time when I had nothing to do at work and it just took off from there. At first I was planning to follow the movie more closely but then I decided to add in my own ideas. Wow, I never thought people were going to enjoy this story as much as they did. I loved the movie and I absolutely love Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I was glad to see people liked the two of them together. Writing this story has really taught me a lot about the writing process and the amount effort that goes into it.**

 **I plan on writing another EdWin AU fanfic. It will be an original story of mine and not based on a movie. It is still in the planning stages though but the first chapter should be out within a few months.**

 **I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, and favorited this story: Yveltal45, miskee, BakaFangirl, TheCandyChild, mizzshy, Maya Poltergeist, Celtika82, BuggyNess, GeekyAnimeGirl, Vhosek, curligurl0896, DontEvenAsk, OtakuFledgeling, Saki-Hime, LynsieTheBraveShadowHuntress, Golddust, SkattingKat, xxxRainbowxCowxx, vvavavoom, soliea0death, solarkiller89, screamin-eagle8, metal-head111, ladywentworth, glaceon06, ghiblilover, bankerrtx01, ayesir-theflyingcat, Wraithkonto, Vanne-the-bookworm, TheFourthAlchemenitor, Superpersonman, SkattingKat, SilverDewDrop, , MapleHere, Kardula Bloodstone, ItWasWalpole, IntelCore, FullmetalAngelicWarrior, Fucktheworld99, FireBreathingHamster, 1TitanGirl, nicolepalmer, latinadecorason, janky00, glaceon06, bankerrtx01, Shady Writes, Sapphire1270, KorraPanera, Kinji Blackstone, Don'tPissOffTheFAIRIES, Dafutureishere, Ada Magenta,** **and all the guests.**

 **Thank you BakaFangirl for the cover image.**

 **Please tell me what you thought about this story.**

 **Mediafan out.**

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**


End file.
